Just how 'minimalist' can a picture be?

[Donald]

I've got into this thing about less being more. In fact - less being much, much more. I find I'm composing more and more images that some might argue are far too simple and ask the question - 'Why?'. But I have to confess to enjoying them enormously.

This is an example of what I mean.

I'd be very happy to read you comments and critiques. Anything ranging from 'My God, that is genius' to 'What are you thinking about? That's rubbish' and points in between, will be welcomed.

'South Street, Elie'

[Rita]

Donald, I think that a minimalist image can be very powerful. Just my opinion but I find the top part of the image is somewhat bothersome to me. What about cropping it down to the bottom of the "H" and just having the lower window in the image?

[Geoff F]

I'm not really sure which way to go with this scene, Donald.

I don't remember ever seeing a hydrant sign that far up a wall before.

There may be some merit in a crop from the top with the bottom window upper edge just showing. Anything less will cause problems with that shadow, but a crop to that extent would lose the South Street sign which is an important element for me.

In some ways I would like to have seen just a fraction more of that upper window.

[billtils]

Donald

Although I seem never to be brave enough to follow my own advice, I am a firm fan of "less is more" and really liked this. There are only 2 questions: first is nothing you can do anything about, namely the shape of the shadow - pity is wasn't a nice symmetrical curve to place its max radius, the "H" and the vertical support bracket in a line; the second is, did you try cropping so that the white bottom horizontal of the window was in the frame but the verticals/partials of the glass were not?

[flashback]

I like this kind of shot, it's....what's the word......oh yeah, minimalistic. I would crop the top to just below thise verticals struts, mullions whatever. Other than that I think tou nailed it .

[AlwaysOnAuto]

...and after you're done with all this cropping business Donald, go inside that shop and do a photo or two of that model sailboat in the window for us would you please?

[Sam W]

My two cents is minimize it even more by cropping to the front edge of the sidewalk and cropping out the South Street sign. Then I'd crop the right side to balance. Finally, I'd pick something and make it horizontal...perhaps the deck of the sail boat. This is only since you asked as I am far from experienced in these things.

[James G]

Donald,
This image interests me greatly. I'm curious to see more that might be behind that window. I also am taken by the various tensions generated by high contrasts, the symetric and asymetric elements, and that trace of a vignette at the bottom of the frame.

So though I really like the image, I'm not sure I see it as minimalist. I'm no art critic, or art expert, but I've always regarded minimalism as conveying something through the least possible number of specific elements. Hence my reservation

My old art master from my school days would probably consider my definition a bit too constrained by my 'technical/scientific' approach to things... a source of great debate at the time if memory serves

I have a suspicion here that what really matters is not categorisation to a particular style, but that you are enjoying experimenting with your photography.

[mknittle]

Donald it is a wonderful image. I am a big fan of less is more.

[Shadowman]

Very ambitious, to really fit the bill of minimalism I'd crop slightly above the window and remove the sign and shadowy upper window. However, I like the cracked wall and letter H, but would also lighten the dark corners at bottom. Nice effort.

[rpcrowe]

Talking about "minimalist art" I was watching a tribute to Morley Safer, the TV, journalist and one snippet showed him at a New York Art show that was displaying and raving over a minimalist painting. It was totally white with nothing else on it. The artist who sold that to the gallery must have been a relative to the tailor who fashioned "The Emperor's New Clothes"

[Brev00]

I would have to agree with James. I do not find this image to be minimalistic. I would think a minimalistic image would have fewer distinct elements. Not just the shadow, the crack, the letter, the lower portion of the window frame, but also the street sign, the window with what looks like a sailboat, a sign, and maybe a painting, the deep shadows in the corners, the texture of the building, the sewer cover. Oh, you get the idea. I might classify it more as an image with a juxtaposition, that is the imposition of the shadow in an otherwise organized frame. So, you can't crop it out without losing the whole raison d'être in my point of view.

[purplehaze]

Talking about "minimalist art" I was watching a tribute to Morley Safer, the TV, journalist and one snippet showed him at a New York Art show that was displaying and raving over a minimalist painting. It was totally white with nothing else on it. The artist who sold that to the gallery must have been a relative to the tailor who fashioned "The Emperor's New Clothes"

That's funny, Richard, but you have nailed what I think is maybe a useful distinction to make when defining minimalism. There is a difference between minimalism in terms of subject matter, which is what I think Donald is talking about here, and the kind of minimalism that is illustrated by your white painting, which is a minimalism of design elements (line, colour, tone, texture, etc.). I would say Donald's image is less representative of that kind of minimalism. But really, when you think about it, what could be more minimal in the second sense than that white painting? It is a brilliant joke, and I have no doubt the artist laughed himself all the way to the bank.

[purplehaze]

The more I look at your image, Donald, the less minimalist it becomes, but the more I appreciate it. First, let's count all the design elements here: we have line, shape, tone, texture, hierarchy, a rough kind of balance, and contrast. Can anyone see any more? I would not be surprised if there were more. What I missed on first looking was the ordering and the contrast of shapes. You have a curve on top of a rectangle that contains a triangle, both of which sit on top of a line. Brilliant!

[James G]

I've come back to this image this morning Donald.

The more I look at it, the more 'things' of interest I notice. I can see this being the 'sole' image on the wall.
You could base a lecture tour on it...
Seriously though, imo it has that indefinable 'Wow' factor.

[Kaye Leggett]

Lovely image, but not minimalist enough for me - I think you can go further and still make a great image without going to the extreme of a picture of a white wall.