Last Updated on 03/24/2018 by Mark Beckenbach
All images by Helena Georgiou. Used with permission.
Minimalism in photography may seem easy to achieve in theory. But, if there’s anything our previous features on this visual style have proven, it’s that the most effective and compelling results require some clever thinking. It’s not simply about putting a singular subject against a plain background, as Cyprus-based photographer and digital artist Helena Georgiou demonstrates in her brilliant minimalist photography.
The last time we put the spotlight on Helena’s work, it was all about giving viewers a surreal visual experience through her make-believe worlds and mysterious imagery. Fast-forward to the present, it seems ingenuity is still a big part of her work, but now mostly focused on an eye-catching mix of minimalism, street photography, photo manipulation, architecture, portraits, and any “fascinating, fleeting moments” she chances upon.
In many of her recent works, this heady mix of genres and disciplines come together to create unconventional street snaps or surreal photo manipulations. Colors and patterns are also major components of her visual style, most of which she uses to integrate digital art techniques into her photography. And for those that she rendered in monochrome, imagination allows her to transform everyday scenes into dream-like images.
Helena’s approach is just one of the many ways we’ve seen photographers turn to minimalism to create fascinating and even story-driven imagery. Aristotle Roufanis, for example, used it to tell a story of loneliness in cities around the world. Stefano Gardel likewise used it to strip street scenes down into moody monochromes telling of a dystopian city. George Digalakis also reduces landscapes into monochrome sceneries of surrealism, tranquility, and lonesome atmosphere. It’s interesting how all of them interpret and integrate simplicity and order to produce work in their own style and vision.
Of course, much of this is based on geometry–something Bresson used to speak of. But as urban planning, architecture and photography techniques all changed and evolved, so too did the photos. Here we not only get a minimal use of the shapes and subjects, but also the colors, the tones, etc.
Do check out Helena Georgiou’s website to see more of her award-winning minimalist photography and digital art.