The first thing I learned stepping into my second quarter of college, to pursue my dream- was minimalism. I’m not quite sure if it was the time of year, the external circumstances of life, or simply the peaceful draw of things photographed in their simple state. Capturing images in a minimalist way and a minimalist mindset has a calming effect on my soul. It also had a strange way if drawing a lot of emotion out of me. It ended up being really exhausting for me while out shooting, and caused me think a lot, which I think was reflected in my photographs from that time.
I learned that minimalism may not be my go-to style of photography, but I connected with it during the time we spent discussing and learning the technical and mental skills required to do it effectively. I have found there is great value in exploring all of the possibilities. You gain so much more knowledge, you learn what things you prefer and what you dislike, you discover skills you might not have known you had, and you push yourself outside your comfort zone.
This avenue of photography is very thought provoking and requires you to slow down, and take in your surroundings. Minimalist photography has a way of communicating your feelings and the things going on inside your head by what you decide to photograph, and how you do it. For me, that manifested itself in the solidarity of the subjects I photographed. The way I was photographing minimalist images was communicating a very lonely and empathetic message, which was how I felt when I was behind the camera.
The biggest takeaway from this study I had was that I think it came at an appropriate time for where I was in life, and that I found it an extremely valuable skill to learn. I don’t think this is my main calling as a photographer, but it is an avenue of photography I will continue to study, and continue to put to use every so often.
orange sky snapshots 