Macro photography and close-ups are great themes for minimalist photography. For example, in macro photography, there is a very shallow depth of field that greatly separates the subject from the background. This makes it possible to create a substantial neutral area from the background, which is very desirable for minimalist photography.
Street Cafe Close-up
I took this photograph on my way out of work in April 2019. My friend and I went to take pictures of Petrin Hill, then around Prague Castle and across the Charles Bridge. It was there, in a place called Novotného lávka, the popular view of Charles Bridge, where I managed to take this interesting photo.
I used a Nikon D7100 camera and a Nikkor 50mm lens (35mm equivalent is 75mm) f1.4. I set ISO speed ratings to 640, shutter speed to 1/8 second, and F-number to 1.4 because I wanted the background lights to create light circles. Other camera settings: Multi-segment metering mode, Exposure bias value -1, No flash.
Golden River
Prague is the city where I was born and where I have lived all my life (check out Prague fine art photography prints). I often walk around the city. I like places where there are not so many people and where there is more peace. Sometimes, on my way from work, I take the ferry across the Vltava River instead of the tram and then walk along the waterfront.
During one such evening walk, I took this picture. On the evening of September sun reflected beautifully on the surface of the river. Although I was photographing with a lens with a focal length of 300mm on the crop body (after converting to a 35mm frame, it is even 450mm), I still didn't see the photos nice.
knew I had to get closer. Fortunately, I found stairs that descended to the surface of the river. I knelt down and took several shots from a low angle. Only now was I close enough that each individual wave formed an important part of the image.
Here are the settings for my Nikon D7100 that I used:
- Exposure time: 1/500s
- F-Number: 9.0
- Exposure program: Aperture priority
- ISO speed ratings: 125
- Exposure bias value: -1/3
- Metering mode: Multi-segment
- Flash: No flash
- Focal length: 300mm / Focal length (35mm): 450mm
This photography is available as a wall art print.
Tulip Leaves close-up
My wife's parents have a summer house in a beautiful area called Bohemian Paradise. We drive there quite regularly but I rarely manage to take pictures of something interesting.
One beautiful evening was one of those days when the evening sun shines beautifully all around you. Everything looked so beautiful all of a sudden. I noticed the tulip leaves in the garden. The sun highlighted their structure and color. I lay down and took some pictures. I liked this one the most and you can buy it printed on paper, canvas, wood or metal plate.
Here are the settings for my Nikon D7100 that I used:
Camera Model NIKON D7100
Exposure time: 1/250s
F-Number: 6.3
Exposure program: Aperture priority
ISO speed ratings: 200
Date: 21.04.2019
Metering mode: Multi-segment
Flash: No flash
Focal length: 170mm (35mm equivalent: 255mm)
Winter Micro Landscape
I took this minimalist photo on our winter family vacation at Lake Lipno in South Bohemia. We were just returning from the walk, and beside the forest road among the trees, I saw beautiful wavy snow. The evening sun highlighted the miniature hills that looked like a snowy hilly landscape.
I knelt on my knees and took a close-up photo from a low angle so that the ripples in the snow looked like a snowy landscape. This was achieved only through the use of a telephoto lens.
Winter Micro Landscape is available to buy as a minimalist fine art print.
Used camera settings:
Camera Model: NIKON D7100
Exposure time: 1/640s
F-Number: 8.0
Exposure program: Aperture priority
ISO speed ratings: 250
Date taken 17.02.2019
Metering mode: Multi-segment
Flash: No flash
Focal length: 300 mm (35mm equivalent: 450mm)
Colorful beehives
On another family trip, this time in the open-air museum in Přerov nad Labem. Besides many beautiful old rural buildings, there were these beautiful beehives.
I could have taken photos from a distance. In that case, we would also be able to digest the environment in which the hives are located. On minimalist photography, it is best to skip everything that is redundant in the photo. Of course, this applies to any other photoshoot, but it is especially important for minimalist photos.
Insect photography in minimalist style
Insects in minimalist photography? If we imagine the insects in the photo, it immediately comes to mind macro photography. But do not forget that insect photos may not just be a macro photo or a close-up photo. What about natural or wooden beehives, flocks of mosquitoes, or big spiders?
Minimalism in insect photography and the things associated with it means for me a distinct blank space in the photo or repeating patterns, shapes, or colors.
Beetle in the grass
The following close-up minimalist photo I shot a bit behind the house in the field. With a very shallow depth of field, the beetle can be seen in the photo even when it occupies only a very small portion of the image area. If I shot it with a bigger depth of field and the grass would be focused just like the beetle, it would be very hard to see it in the photo.
Fly on the blue background
I photographed this fly on our family holiday on the Greek island of Corfu. We sat next to the pool at the blue table, and the fly was very annoying. I took advantage of the fact that she was almost not afraid and shot her. Thanks to the fact that my Olympus XZ-2 has a macro mode that allows me to shoot subjects 1 cm from the lens, I could take this interesting photo.
