FOOD, FITNESS, PEOPLE & PLACE

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What Makes A Food or Fitness Photo Minimalistic?


Learn all about Minimalism in Photography

This blog will be divided into two areas:

  • What is Minimalistic Photography?

  • Tips on how to take Food or Fitness minimalist photos


  1. What is Minimalistic Photography?

Here is a clear definition of what minimalism means -

  • extreme spareness and simplicity: a style or technique (as in music, literature, or design) that is characterized by extreme spareness and simplicity.

As an artist, minimalism depends on high simplicity and involves using compositional components such as shape, colour, and line. The goal of minimalist art, or photography, is to convey a concept. which can be an idea, that provokes an emotional response, or provide a unique visual experience.

Take a watch of this YouTube Minimalist photography


2. Food

When researching how this movement can link to food, there is one way it can relate and this is minimalist food which is simple, whole, minimally processed foods. Minimalist food is made into simple meals with few ingredients and steps. This can develop further into your diet and how you eat or what you eat.

The main point of researching this art movement & food is the effects of this on the composition and placement of food in a photograph. The key things to consider when forming this type of photography and art movement are colour, limited props and simplicity.

Here are some tips to use when planning your own food photograph:

  1. Limit to only 4 props (background is included in this prop list)

  2. Pick a dish with layers (make the food look amazing with a powerful dish, with layers and texture)

  3. Keep your viewers engaged and interested, in the composition that you use. I would play with the use of negative space & use balance to make the image complete with your set props.

    Theory - To learn more about balance

  4. Use a tight crop

Here are my own example of a simple Bakewell tart and a bright pink colour background. I have used 4 Bakewell tarts and a background and a plate, to keep near to the limit of 4 props and I have cropped the images down for the final selection of photographs.


3. Fitness

As I mentioned above, with food, you have the option to have minimalist fitness which will help achieve similar or better results by focusing on the things that matter most. You simplify and essentialize your fitness by doing less but you will achieve more.

When looking at this art form for fitness photography, the main area that this type of photography is used for is either stock or lifestyle fitness images. When learning or taking fitness photographs, the main point when photographing a person exercising is to make them look dynamic, which is created through a set lighting setup.

See these two examples below of this type of dynamic lighting

Key tips to use when taking a simplistic fitness photograph:

  1. Use one colour theme or a set of two colours

  2. Limite props

  3. Use negative space, with the rule of thirds composition technique

  4. Use either a plain or simple background

  5. Have the entire product/person in the picture or cropped to form a frame

Here are some examples of this type of photography and how this can be minimalistic.

This image has a plain background, entire person to one side to keep to a rules of third composition.

There are more props for this image and these have been placed to form a frame around the outside of the picture.

The use of depth of field has made the weight the main focus against the small plant/grass.


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