“A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you, the less you know.”
– Diane Arbus
Minimalism in photography is something I truly appreciate. Images with simple compositions and lots of negative space just seem cleaner, more direct and consequently, more appealing to me. As such, many of the images that I create lean towards this aesthetic.
I started The Simplicity Project years ago to satisfy a desire to create portfolios of images with simple and (hopefully) powerful compositions . Over time, I’ve created several iterations of the concept with images ranging from nature, street, and still life to architecture. I have to admit that with some I was successful, others not so much.
The images that I’d like to share with you in this post represent scenes along the Pacific Coast Highway from Ventura to Santa Monica, a route I frequently travel. All of the included images were taken during the morning. And, though traffic always sucks in the AM, I really do love the varying quality of light at dawn along the route. As it changes, objects morph from soft with muted hues to crisp shapes and bold colors. Of course, these images are monochrome, but I’m sure you get the idea.
One last notable point – The majority of the images were shot on (very) expired medium format film. Why expired film?
Well…
First – I had plenty of past-its-prime film just aching to be used.
Second – since expired film can deliver some pretty unpredictable results, I was curious as to how it would turn out.
Third – I’d hoped to use the imperfections and film grain to create texture in the images.
And Fourth – Why Not?
So check out the images. If I was successful, and Diane Arbus is right, each image will remain beautifully silent.
I hope you enjoyed viewing the images as much as I enjoyed making them. Take a sec to drop a line in the comments to let me know what you think.
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Equipment Used
- Hasselblad 503CW
- Zeiss Planar 80mm f2.8 CFI
- Zeiss Distagon40 f4 CF FLE
© 2014-2019 Reginald Foster, All Rights Reserved. All Photos and text are the property of Reginald Foster and PhotoFerret1.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from Reginald Foster is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Reginald Foster and PhotoFerret1.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
