Minimalism

On a conceptual level, I understand minimalism. However, on a practical level, when creating my photographs, I can't seem to create minimally. I did some research on the concept hoping to inform my photographic technique.

What is minimalism? It’s a movement that started growing curtsy of 20th century artists who relied on simple compositions to introduce a new and unique style. Their simplicity strived from the reduced number of elements in their compositions, elements such as shapes, textures, and colours.Mike Jones

That's the one definition I had in mind when I was as the Honey Brook Farm with my wife this weekend. I had my Nikon 35mm f/1.8 mounted on the Nikon D5100 and walked around the barn while she filled her bags with tomatoes, garlic, and other items.

I had no particular goal in mind but I focused on keeping the compositions simple. I aimed for having just a few elements -- one or two -- in each image. I avoided stark contrast between the foreground and the background.

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It was only after shooting a set of 10 images that I realised that I had many images of windows and lights inside and outside the barn. I'm not sure why I was drawn to the lights.

I'm not happy with the compositions of the originals. I severally cropped the images to reduce elements but something is missing. I deleted most of the images.

It’s certainly difficult to try to build a story around an inanimate object, but place a human in the shot and, suddenly, there is a whole new level of depth to it.Mike Jones

I think I know what is missing from these images. The story. What is so interesting about the image of a fan? Of an outdoor light? Of two windows on a red barn? What story lies within each of these images? Or the set of images? What do you see?

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Ladro Roasting Kenya Kiamaina

Kenya Kiamaina from Ladro Roasting (mistobox.com)

MistoBox delivers coffee from the top artisan coffee roasters right to your door every month. Answer a few questions about your preferences, and they'll send you coffee you'll love every time.

We didn't notice any citrus. My wife did not like? this coffee at all.

Rating: 2 stars
Country: KENYA
Region: NYERI
Altitude: 1,800 - 2,200 METERS
Variety: SL-29, SL-34, RUIRU 11
Process: FULLY WASHED
Producer: KIAMA FARMERS COOPERATIVE

Flash Flood

All of the iPhones in the house were screaming as Dark Sky displayed a flash flood warning notification. We had a lot of rainfall in a very short period this past weekend. I knew that some of the nearby streams were likely filled and were on the verge of overflowing their banks. Of course, this could prove the perfect opportunity to drive to one section of the Rock Brook along Hollow Road in Skillman and grab some “fast-moving water" shots.

I parked near the intersection of Servis Road and Hollow Road. I met a woman out with her camera near the bridge from Grand View. The tripod was placed in a "difficult" spot, half in the water, just to get the shot.

Was I in any kind of danger? Perhaps. Perhaps, the brook could have surged, and I could have been so focused on getting the photograph that I would not have noticed the encroaching water and I could have been swept away along with the tripod. Or maybe the tripod would have become unstable and toppled over into the brook taking my camera with it.

But none of that happened. I was careful and, the woman was helpful and became my spotter. I kept alert. And I got the shot.

Rock Brook
Rock Brook | Sunday 31 July, 2016 | Nikon D5100 | Tokina AT-X 116 PRO DX II 11-16mm F2.8 @ 11 mm | 2.0 sec at f/10 | ISO 100
Rock Brook
Rock Brook | Sunday 31 July, 2016 | Nikon D5100 | Tokina AT-X 116 PRO DX II 11-16mm F2.8 @ 16 mm | 4.0 sec at f/10 | ISO 100
Rock Brook
Rock Brook | Sunday 31 July, 2016 | Nikon D5100 | Tokina AT-X 116 PRO DX II 11-16mm F2.8 @ 14 mm | 30.0 sec at f/10 | ISO 100