One of the biggest traps in landscape photography is trying to include everything in a scene. And while it can work, I would argue that it actually makes good landscape photographs a more difficult thing to achieve. It's why I often err towards trying to get the best minimalist landscape photographs that I can. I find them more appealing in many situations, and I also find them quite difficult to achieve, but a hell of a lot of fun. So let's take a look at what makes minimalist landscape photography challenging and how we can overcome those trials for better images.
Perhaps the core concept that a photographer needs to understand when attempting minimalist landscapes is that you are looking for intentionality rather than emptiness. The point is not to have less detail for its own sake but simply fewer distractions so that the viewer knows exactly where they should be looking. This could be achieved with composition as well as contrast and even colour, but at its core, the photographer is stripping away elements to achieve the minimalist image. Only the essential elements should remain.
What makes a landscape feel minimalist?
If we're going to cut straight to the crux of minimalist landscape photography, I would argue that 90% of the quality minimalist landscape shots you see are dominated by a single compositional element. That is to say that if the average person were asked what the photograph was of, they would not say minimalist landscape, but would rather name that single compositional element, just like any other type of minimalist photography. Maybe that's a mountain. Maybe it's a cloud. Maybe it's a guy in a red jacket. But it is that single subject that often dominates minimalist landscapes. In these cases, the subject does not need to fill the frame because negative space does a lot of the work.
Quick note: There is a very useful article on negative space here on Light Stalking that is probably worth a read if you are really getting into this topic.
The real trick is simplification, not emptiness
Perhaps one of the most difficult things about taking a minimalist landscape is that you really have to think about the composition before you ever get to the editing stage. It is very difficult to make a minimalist landscape from an existing shot that was not shot with minimalism in mind.
Perhaps the biggest tip here is that you should figure out the single subject that you wish the viewer's eye to be drawn to within the landscape, and then figure out what elements of the surrounding landscape that you can remove from the shot to achieve that in the most aesthetically pleasing way possible.
For this, you're probably going to need to move your feet and find a different angle to shoot that single subject. Change your own position until you find the composition that most enhances the likelihood that a viewer's eye will shoot straight to the subject.
In some cases, you might even want to take a telephoto lens as shooting wide tends to mean incorporating elements that you may not want in a minimalist shot. Landscape photographer Mikko Lagerstedt, recommends simplifying the composition first and then using a telephoto lens to isolate when needed.
The truth about weather and light in minimalist landscape photography
The weather can really come to your rescue in minimalist landscape photographs. Obviously, things like fog or mist can really hide a lot of distractions in a landscape, as can snow or even some overcast cloudy conditions. You should absolutely consider taking advantage of these conditions when they present themselves if it allows you to find and isolate your subject matter. These types of bad weather can actually be a boon for minimalist photographers.
Of course, you also need to be conscious of what the light is doing. Early or late night, such as that thrown in the golden hours, can produce long shadows, clean shapes, and even stronger separation when used intentionally with simplicity in mind.
The wider point here is that the environmental conditions can help a photographer remove distractions from their composition, so always consider the weather with a minimalist approach.
Composition still matters, maybe more than ever for minimalism
Minimalism is one of the ultimate tests of a photographer's knowledge of composition. And it's especially a test of a photographer's knowledge of negative space. Old chestnuts like the rule of thirds or leading lines help, but they should not be a crutch.
Perhaps something that will help more than others is the concept of visual balance. Intentionally balancing colours with strong tones against muted tones can work well, as does intentionally choosing how large or small certain objects are in your frame. Position, perspective, and asymmetry also count for a lot.
Do not skip getting to know the general concepts of visual balance in this context as this can really make or break a minimalist landscape photograph.
Camera settings and technique
When talking about camera settings, you're going to be best advised by a fairly traditional approach to landscape camera craft to capture solid images. Your lens's sweet spot will probably be where you want to set your aperture, which is usually between F/8 and F/11 for most lenses. You're going to want to keep ISO low to minimise noise. And you're going to want to set the shutter speed according to your artistic vision. A slow shutter speed for long exposure while using a tripod is a perfectly reasonable option, as is a fast shutter speed if you can only handhold the camera.
Do note that a slow shutter speed can serve to smooth water or clouds, which can become a large visual element in the frame, usually in the context of negative space with obvious importance for minimalist landscapes.
You may even wish to force longer exposure times through the use of a neutral density filter, or even a graduated neutral density filter if you want to isolate parts of the image for different exposure times. An ND grad will let you blur clouds while keeping a sharp foreground, for example.
Common mistakes to call out
If you're going for a minimalist shot, then there are a few common pitfalls. Probably the most common is not having a clear subject. In most cases, you are going to want to have that single subject for the viewer's eye to fall on. Related to that problem is also having a subject that is too large in the frame.
A few others include having leading lines that lead to nowhere, and over-processed colour that distracts the viewer from the composition. Taking post-processing a little too far is always a temptation with any landscape images.
Additionally, minimalist photographs that have more than a single point of interest are very, very difficult to pull off, so be careful.
Concluding Thoughts
Minimalist landscape photography is useful in that it really teaches a photographer to see intentionally, rather than just shooting wide. It's the ultimate test of patience, restraint, and even tasteful editing decisions. It is also nice to know that the most powerful landscape that you can get might not be the grand wide scene, but a small part of it that says exactly what you want to say.
If you want to have a look at what other photographers have attempted, this collection of examples of minimalist landscape photos should be your next stop.
