Zen in photography is synonymous with Minimalism. The purpose of Zen Photography is to take photos that are simplistic with a minimal of everything. Remove all distractions from the eye. This would include Macro Photography, using close-ups extensively, and special lighting.
Unfortunately, I don't have any good photos yet to display Zen Photography. But on the flip side, I have found two really good websites that explain this topic in different amounts. The first site, Zen and Photography, shows many different examples. But there is a common theme to each photo: very, very few details. Think of it this way: a photo of a baseball game might show hundreds of avid fans watching a ball go over the right-field wall. Zen Photography would instead focus on just the eyes of a single fan watching the ball sail over the wall. No distractions, only one subject, very few details.
A second website, TZ Planet, discusses in pretty good detail about minimalism. This site has few examples, but they again all share a common theme: no distractions. There is also a good list at the end of the article that will guide you towards Zen Photography.
I walked around downtown Wilmington one day attempting to find some good subjects for Zen. I didn't find much of anything good that day. Thinking back about it, I tried too hard. I tried to find specific subjects, then tried to get close enough to completely fill the frame, all the while trying too hard to fit the profile.
Instead, I learned a few simple tricks that work extremely well with Zen Photography:
- Stay within 100 yards of home. You shouldn't need to go far.
- Forget taking whole pictures. Taking photos of pieces of subjects, such as just a doorknob instead of the entire door.
- If you can see the background, move closer
- Use a Close-Up filter set if you have one
- Play with lighting. Create shadows. Sculpt a subject with light to get a perfect angle.
