1.
Minimalist
Black & White
Photography
By Martin Vorel
martinvorel.com

2.
ABOUT ME
Hi, my name is Martin and I am
a photographer from Prague,
Czech Republic. I started out
shooting for my photography
agency Libreshot but over time
I started doing fine art
photography with an emphasis
on minimalism.
Find more of my black and
white photos here:
https://martinvorel.com/art-pr
ints/black-and-white/

3.
B&W Flowers
B&W Landscapes
Minimalist photos of plants
Abstract and minimalist
images of architecture
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Moody landscape photography
B&W Architecture
B&W Animals
Photographs of wild and
captive animals
B&W Abstract
Abstract nature photography
B&W People
Photographs of people in
silhouette
01
02
03
04
05
06

4.
B&W
LANDSCAPES

5.
“Smile, breathe and go slowly.”
—THICH NHAT HANH

6.
A snowy vineyard in
South Moravia
Martin Vorel, 2018

7.
Baltic Sea in
Poland
Martin Vorel, 2018
To achieve the dreamy
effect of the long
exposure, which required
an exposure of at least
20s, I had to wait until
long after sunset.
Because I didn't have an
ND filter that can extend
the exposure.

8.
A dark winter lake on
the outskirts of Prague
Martin Vorel, 2021

9.
Misty forest in
Orava mountains,
Slovakia
Martin Vorel, 2018

10.
A snowy tree in Prague
Martin Vorel, 2018
I took this black & white photo on
a hill in Prague. Fresh snow had
just fallen and everything was
beautifully white. In the
background is a panorama of the
Prague skyline, but it is hidden in
"white darkness".

11.
B&W
FLOWERS

12.
Nature Minimalism
Martin Vorel, 2021
Minimalist abstract nature photography in pure clarity. Black
and white silhouette of a twig in the shape of a wave with
white snow in the background. On the day this photo was
taken, I took the 3 most beautiful photos of the whole winter.

13.
Tree in the Snow
Black and white photo of a tiny tree in the snow.
This is my second favorite photo I took that
winter. As soon as I saw the tree, I knew I had to
take a picture of it. I fell to my knees and took
pictures for several tens of minutes. People
walking around probably thought I was crazy. But I
think it was worth it!
Martin Vorel, 2021

14.
Winter Minimalism
Minimalist photography in the style of
Japanese Zen Buddhism. Third photo in this
series. When it snowed in January 2021, it
stayed on the ground for about 14 days. This
is very unusual. Normally, our snow melts by
the next day. After a few days, I finally find
time to go out with my camera. I felt like in
paradise. There were so many beautiful
twigs and trees growing from the snow :)
Martin Vorel, 2021

15.
Dead Thistle Flower
Martin Vorel, 2022
Photograph of a dead thistle plant
whose spines below the flower are
twisted into a spiral, creating
beautiful and photogenic shapes. The
spines on dry thistle flowers almost
always grow straight. Sometimes,
however, they twist into spirals or
into strange shapes where the
flowers look like they are dancing.

16.
Silhouette of Willow Branches
Martin Vorel, 2018
B&W photo of thin twigs in the shape of curls. I was just going to
work from my mother’s house when I noticed what beautiful
shapes nature can create. If you want to find similar things, look
not only around you but raise your head and look above you. You
will definitely discover beautiful things!

17.
Organic Shape
Martin Vorel, 2021
Nature can create such beautiful geometric shapes. I often go out and look
for them. Usually, I don’t find anything. But sometimes I’m lucky. This also
happened one day I spent around the Konopiště chateau. I discovered a
small meadow that was completely ordinary at first glance. On closer
inspection, I noticed dozens of beautiful dry plants of strange shapes. I
walked through the whole meadow and inspected each individual plant. In
the end, I chose two and took them home. And so this and several other
photographs were created.

18.
Dead Flower
Photograph of a dead thistle plant whose spines
below the flower are twisted into a spiral. This
photo is the most abstract of all in this series (Dead
Thistle Plants). I only captured the spirally coiled
spines growing directly under the bloom.
Martin Vorel, 2021

19.
B&W
ARCHITECTURE

20.
Abstract Prague
Martin Vorel, 2022
The creation of this photograph has been in my mind for a long time and I’m really
glad that I finally managed to make it happen. I shot by setting a high aperture of
f/18.0 and a long exposure time of 1.6 seconds. I then pressed the shutter button
and moved the camera up and down during the exposure to create the desired blur.

21.
Prague Castle Silhouette
Martin Vorel, 2022
This photograph was actually taken by accident. I was taking
an abstract photo of Prague Castle and noticed that through
the leaves, Prague Castle looks completely different from
what we are all used to.

22.
The Baroque granary
Martin Vorel, 2022
This baroque building from the 18th century belonging to the farmstead of Týnice
near Prague. The massive building made of rubble masonry is located in a
dominant landscape position.

23.
Fog in Prague
Martin Vorel, 2021
I captured this serene moment while strolling along the Vltava river in Prague on a chilly January
morning. The thick fog had enveloped the city for several days, adding an ethereal touch to the
already mystical atmosphere of Prague.

24.
Dark & Abstract
Church in Prague
Týn Cathedral is a famous and beautiful Gothic
church on Old Town Square in Prague. I took this
photo on my way home from shooting abstract
photography of Prague Castle and I used the same
method. A bit longer exposure time and moving the
camera up and down during the shoot.
Martin Vorel, 2022

25.
Corpus Christi Chapel
Martin Vorel, 2021
Abstract image of the interior
of Corpus Christi Chapel in
Kutná Hora. Beautiful gothic
vault and columns illuminated
by the sun rays shining through
the small windows.

26.
B&W
ANIMALS

27.
A Swan in Prague
I took this photo by pure chance. I waited more
than an hour in line for antigen tests on Covid-19 on
the banks of the Vltava River in Prague. Then the
swans arrived. I came very close and they didn’t run
anywhere because they were waiting to get
something to eat. The contrast of dark water, white
swans, and snow was beautiful.
Martin Vorel, 2021

28.
Great Egret
Martin Vorel, 2021
At this pond I usually see many
beautiful animals such as Grey
herons, cormorants, nutria or
swans. But I saw a white heron
for the first time here. It was
sitting on the other side of the
large pond but luckily I had my
Nikkor 200-500mm telephoto
lens with me. I set the lens to
500mm, exposure time to 1/640s,
aperture to f/16 and ISO to 1600.

29.
Snail Shell
Martin Vorel, 2021
The snail shell has long been
an example of nature's
perfection and symmetry. I
collected shells and searched
for the most beautiful one,
then I placed the shell on a
black blanket, illuminated it
from the side with a building
reflector, and with the help of
a Tamron 90mm macro lens I
took dozens of different
photos. And this was the best.

30.
Highland cattle
Martin Vorel, 2021
I took this photo on the outskirts of a
small village near Benesov in central
Bohemia. Although cattle were not
traditionally bred here, they have
become very popular nowadays.
To get a portrait of the cow's head, I
had to use a long telephoto lens set at
450mm. Thanks to the low aperture of
f/5.6, only the head is in focus and the
rest of the body is slightly blurred.

31.
The Swan
Martin Vorel, 2018
Black and white photograph of a
beautiful swan swimming on the
dark surface of a lake. There was
only this one swan on the whole
pond that day. She must have
been a little bored or hungry
because as soon as I approached
the water she swam right up to
me. At first I was a bit scared of
her as she came dangerously
close to me 🙂 But eventually we
became friends and she followed
me wherever I went.

32.
B&W
ABSTRACT

33.
Birches in motion
Martin Vorel, 2021
Another photo was taken at my
favourite place near the village of
Dubeč. On the opposite shore there
were two beautiful groups of white
birches surrounded by dark deciduous
trees. I tried to photograph the white
trees and their reflections on the
surface of the water so that they were
vertically blurred. This technique is
sometimes called 'painting with light'.
The idea is to set a slightly longer
exposure time and move the camera up
and down during the exposure. This
creates this interesting "vertical blur"
effect.

34.
Abstract tree
Martin Vorel, 2021
Winter photography of the
famous tree in Prague - Modřany.
Taken by moving the lens zoom
during exposure. This photo is
part of a series in which I try to
capture the most beautiful trees
in the Czech Republic in an
unusual way.

35.
Mushrooms in the dark
Martin Vorel, 2020
A group of white mushrooms on a
black background. I took this
photo in the woods near our
house. I found a group of
mushrooms at the base of a tree.
Their white bodies shone
beautifully even though they
were hidden in the shade.

36.
The old fisherman and the sea
Martin Vorel, 2020
I took this long exposure photo of the coast near the town of Makarska in Croatia.
That day I took dozens of photos of the coast that I thought would be interesting. And
I completely forgot about this one. I was all the more surprised when I found it among
all the other boring photos. The small fishing boat bobbing on the waves, appearing
every evening when all the other boats and yachts were in port.

37.
Poplars in motion
Martin Vorel, 2022
I took this photo in a village near Prague. There are
several poplar trees in a row. I wanted to make an
abstract photo, so I used a longer exposure time of
0.60s. I moved the camera up and down while taking the
photo. With this type of photography it is quite difficult
to find the right combination of shutter speed, camera
movement speed and also to create the desired
composition.

38.
B&W
PEOPLE

39.
Sand Dune in Mongolia
Martin Vorel, 2019
In the westernmost part of the Khongoryn Els sand
dunes in the Mongolian Gobi Desert is the highest
dune, with a peak of more than 200m. Every day
before sunset, dozens of tourists from nearby yurt
camps arrive in tourist minibuses. They all have
one goal. To climb the highest peak and watch the
sun set behind the dunes.

40.
People and fishermen
silhouettes
Martin Vorel, 2020
I took this photo in the town of Makarska on the coast
of Croatia. I found a concrete jetty with a beautiful
view of the cliffs opposite. A great place for
silhouette photography. I set up a tripod on the stone
breakwaters at the jetty and waited for the perfect
composition. And I think it was worth the wait.

41.
The Buddha
Martin Vorel, 2021
A simple photograph of Buddha
in meditation. Minimalist
composition using the silhouette
of a wooden Buddha statue that
was once given to me by my
mother.

42.
Sad lonely man
I took this photo in the Podolí district of Prague on
my way home from work. I usually take the quickest
way home. I was in a bad mood that day and
needed to take a walk. A lonely man was sitting on
the wall of Vyšehrad looking dreamily at the
cityscape, so I took a telephoto lens and
photographed him.
Martin Vorel, 2019

43.
All photographs in this
presentation are available as
art prints.
martinvorel.com/art-prints/black-and-white/

44.
CREDITS: This presentation template was created by
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THANKS
Do you have any questions?
Please keep this slide for attribution
marvorel@gmail.com
martinvorel.com