Capturing Minimalist Wall Art With Lukas Griffin

Minimalist wall art prints are one of the most popular forms of artwork collected by art curators, looking to diversify and expand the aesthetic of the living space in the home. Having found a passion and interest in the persona that minimalist wall art can bring to any space, I can only encourage more photographers to join me by creating the most tranquil and aesthetically pleasing of images. In light of this, I am going to share five of my learned tips which should be applied during a minimalist photography shoot. Read along with me, as I reveal the key to capturing minimalist wall art for the home:

Click here to view the artwork featured above: Man + Sea - Waikiki, Hawaii.

Ideal Shooting Locations - Certain locations typically lend themselves to minimalist wall art imagery more than others, however it is possible to create minimalism more or less anywhere with the correct lens and careful selection of photo composition and an advanced level of photographic knowledge. 

Having said this, visiting remote locations such as; coastal locations, deserts and mountain ranges will provide you with an addition of shooting options: 

Coastal Photography: Coastal areas will offer a clear sky and a clear foreground. These are both useful when you’re looking to create minimalist wall art prints. 

Desert Photography: Similar to coastal areas, the sparsity of deserts lends them to the creation of minimalist landscapes. 

Mountain Photography: Mountain ranges also have potential minimalist features present. It may be true that they are not as straightforward as coastal or desert areas, but you’ll surely stumble across minimalist wall art opportunities here too. 

Avoid Extra Elements & Subjects - Photography is the art of subtraction and this concept can be readily applied to the composition of a minimalist landscape, enhancing the results of your captures. During a shoot with minimalist wall art prints as my goal, I usually aim to remove as many unwanted elements as I can, in order to keep my captures as; clean, spacious and airy as possible. 

Planning a shoot at the correct type of location aids me a lot, as the desired elements of capture have been foreseen in my research. When I arrive on location, I know what to expect what subjects/ angles I would like to shoot. 

Naturally, this saves a lot of leg work on the day, but sometimes, I find myself having to do a little thinking on the spot. Afterall, photography is an art and an image is open to interpretation. So, when I’m in need of a little guidance, I fall back on the following composition tricks: 

Rule of Thirds: Generally used as a tighter crop. For minimalist images, compose slightly wider yet keep the same proportions in your photo. You’ll want a focal point in your photo, but it shouldn’t dominate the frame of your minimalist wall art prints. 

Expansive Compositions: I always like to include a large amount of negative space within my captures of minimalist wall art. This area of the image should dominate the whole photo so, this is what I like to aim for when shooting. 

The main subject of the photo will be small, and will likely appear at the bottom of the frame. You can also compose it in the left or right third of the image, to keep within the rule of thirds. The remainder of the frame should be kept as clean as possible, to give the minimalist feel. This sometimes needs a background that has some texture and gradation to it.

Click here to view the artwork featured above: Me + My - Oahu, Hawaii. 

Decreasing Colors - In addition to removing extra objects and subjects from the focus of your minimalist image, I would highly recommend paying extra attention to the use of color running throughout your collection. 

Ideally, you’ll want to capture a scene that contains two to three colors at a maximum. However, if you move beyond this, your collection of minimalist wall art prints could begin to look and feel rather busy, loosing that sought-after minimalist edge. 

This may seem like a challenge, but once you get into practice, shooting minimalist wall art will become like second nature in time. Your creative eye will adapt and you will learn to look for the ideal characteristics of minimalist imagery when shooting on location. 

If you’re a beginner to this form of imagery, I would focus on avoiding extra elements and subjects in your image first and foremost as a rule of thumb. Then, during the editing process, transform your colored shot into a totally black and white landscape. A high contrast black and white photo will have a hugely influential minimalist quality due to the lack of color present in the image, so a monochrome filter will apply the full effect of a simplistic image. 

Aerial Viewpoint - A wonderful way to capture a minimalist landscape in all its glory is to capture its shape from above. Gone are the days that you’d need to capture an aerial view from a plane window or helicopter. 

Aerial drones offer this unique point of view to any individual, which is a very exciting string to a landscape photographer’s bow. Of course, you will need to scout the perfect location where your drone can be used. If you have a destination in mind or are in the process of selecting a shooting destination, the next step is to think about the features that will be able to be seen from above. 

If the area you’re shooting has too many features, a collection of minimalist wall art prints will be hard to achieve. I would suggest looking out for elements such as; winding roads, thick trees, texture and land which would represent negative space. Coastal areas where the land meets the sea would also be good hunting grounds for minimalist wall art captures to take place. 

Click here to view the artwork featured above: Vals Turquesa - Oahu, Hawaii.

Shooting Schedule - Visiting your chosen shooting location at the correct time of day can impact the final results of a minimalist wall art photo. 

When it comes to minimalist wall art prints, large crowds will prevent the minimalist feel from becoming your image. Therefore, I would suggest avoiding a visit to your shooting location in the middle of the day, as there are likely to be gathered crowds at this time. 

However, crowds will not be an issue if you’re hoping to capture a few shots of streetwalkers passing against a clean backdrop. For example, the horizon at the beach could be a great way to capture the hustle and bustle of coastal life in a minimalist way.  

Another example of minimalist imagery which could thrive off of a crowd is, of course, silhouette photography. To create this form of minimalist wall art, you will need to know the sun’s position in reference to your geological location, as the shot will need to be positioned in front of you for this form of imagery to work. 

Once you understand the movements which the sun will take and cast on your chosen landscape, you will be able to plan your shoot throughout the day. So, when it is time to strike and capture the silhouettes of those walking by, you will be there waiting, at the precise moment.  

Of course, the direction of your minimalist wall art is completely up to you. I would just analyze your techniques and goals before venturing out on a shoot in order for you to return with a collection of sought-after images. 

So, that concludes my guide to capturing minimalist wall art. I hope that you have found this article both intriguing and useful from a photography standpoint.     

If you are an art curator, looking to expand the collection of minimalist wall art prints in your home, you can view the artworks featured within this article using the links provided.    

If you’d like to keep up to date, feel free to visit my Instagram page @lukasgriffin for further examples of my photography work.

PHOTO CREDITS

All photos used within this article are courtesy of Lukas Griffin.

All images are available to purchase as prints, view all collections.