Minimal v1.5

While posting late in the month I actually snapped this image sometime last week or so.

I had quite a number of ideas flow through my grey matter as the first portion of this month passed, but none really jumped out and grabbed me by the throat saying “This is a winner of an idea old man. Now get snapping!” Then one rather overcast day while out feeding the ferals I took to walking about the field of tall grasses that border the wood on the south end. I was actually looking for the cat Prince, who had been missing for some days. I was half expecting to find his lifeless body, but instead found only browning grasses. Fortunately Prince was to turn up a few days later.

Regardless, while I was making my way round the field I came across a handful of these particularly tall blades of grass with what looked like seed pods running along near the top of the blades. I thought them pretty in a minimalist sort of way and that is when it hit me: minimalist. Sounds a lot like minimal, eh?

So the brain kicked into gear and I raced back to my car for my backup camera (the Rebel XTi/400D). Returning to a particularly tall blade I contemplated how to shoot it so that I could capture both it and the theme for this month. Mind racing….well….puttering along I realized I needed a blank background, so to speak, so that there was only the blade and therefore a minimal amount of subject.

Borrowing from the work of Mike, Darren and Tam I laid myself upon the frozen ground and started snapping pictures upwards so that the cloud-filled atmosphere filled the background. Being winter the clouds were that dull and grey sort that appear almost solid in colour.

Once home I put the image up in Lightroom and looked at it. In disappointment. While it captured the theme, or so I thought (and still do think), it lacked any punch. And I know a minimalist image can have punch; I’ve noticed it quite often in the works of one Flickr poster whom I’ve been following (and who lives nearby).

A bit dejected I put the image aside and began contemplating another shot. But just the other day I re-opened the image and began fiddling around with it a bit in Lightroom. I was doing what I normally do: tweaking, but to no avail. Then quite by accident I moved a slider quite far to the right and suddenly the image was transformed. Suddenly it was different. Suddenly there was impact. Suddenly it was more like the image I wanted as opposed to the image I had.

Inspired by this chance goof, I began moving other sliders around and witnessing their respective impact to the whole. Eventually I settled upon the outcome you have seen above. And while I have no idea what others may think of it, I’m quite excited by it. I feel it has impact, but remains simple. It now better fits what I hoped to convey as opposed to what my original image presented.

I hope you folks like it as well.

Tam’s Minimal

You all know I love working with natural light.

This shot posed a bit of a challenge as we’ve had more overcast, rainy and snowy days lately. Thankfully, today’s weather was perfect…bright blue, clear sky and radiant sunshine.

Patiently I waited.

Around 1:30 pm local time, the sun sank low enough in the sky to cast a beautiful beam of light through our bedroom window. My model was ready, as was I.

mike’s “Minimal” #2

Many many moons ago I imposed upon myself, as part of one of my then predominant interests, the exercise/discipline of meditation.
This regime endured for some considerable time and even nowadays I will periodically return to it.

Not quite so many moons ago (last year in fact, I think) a very close friend gave me a gift of a miniature Zen garden.
This essentially ornamental gift is based upon the real Zen gardens that are tranquil areas of freshly raked sand with the occasional stones or rocks positioned with the utmost care and consideration, to which Buddhist monks resort for contemplation and meditation.

The miniaturised version that was gifted to me consisted of a tray, some practically white sand, an assortment of polished stones… and a tiny rake!
Obviously the patterns that can be created therewith are almost endless, but continual rearrangement over a period of time tends to lead to increasing refinement and simplicity.
And of course, although essentially ornamental, these miniature versions can still be used as objects for contemplation and meditation.

Now I’m not entirely certain that my friend was aware of my meditational practises of earlier times. In fact, I’m fairly sure she wasn’t.
So what inspired her to buy this for me? A chance remark on my part? Something that she “picked up” from my personality? Who knows.

Nevertheless, it was a much appreciated gift, and is still pressed into service periodically.

And it seemed to me to be quite fitting for this month’s “Minimal” theme.

mike’s “Minimal”

Some people just go way over the top with herbs and spices and pepper and stuff!