Portfolio 2: Abstract Photography

Abstract Photography

Like abstract art, abstract photography concentrates on shape, form, colour, pattern and texture. Sometimes, focusing onto a detail to capture any of the above category. Often, the detail is such that it is difficult to identify where the detail is from. Normally, the object or image will not be a literal view of the subject.

The subject is secondary to the detail of:

Patterns

Textures

Angles

Proximity (closeness and distance from the subject)

Crop (especially of segments or parts of the whole)

Colour variation

Tonal variation

Hard light (rendering of the subject)

Soft light (rendering of the subject)

Shape (2D)

Form (3D)

Curves

Geometry

Focus and depth of field

Blur

Expression of movement

In abstract photography there are added aspects usually not present in other media. Focus can be distorted to create 'bokeh' and blur the subject so much as to make the image unrecognisable. This is done by manipulating depth-of-field. Movement too can be blurred to completely obscure reality. The degree of manipulation can be controlled by the cameras, lens and filters.

Abstract photography is about capturing an impression or a characteristic of a subject that would otherwise be missed by the general observer because of the overall subject. It communicates through form, colour and curves rather than image detail. The emphasis on these three qualities tends to produce simple yet beautiful and dramatic images. The process is enlightening and revealing.

There are four essentials to abstract photography:

FORM

This refers to the shape of the object(s) in an image. Form serves as the framework or skeleton upon which an abstract image is create. Colour and curves add enhancement. It is crucial that the abstraction has good form to begin with.

The form can either be simple or intricate. Each adds their own quality. Simplified forms can look beautiful while, intricate, complex form can be engrossing.

COLOUR

Acts like the skin of the form and can help to identify the image. Depending on the colour, it can help to hold the viewers attention an this is central to the viewing experience. Strong colours hold attention better than weaker colours. Adding contract to colours (contrasting colours), add another dimension.

CURVES

Add interest to an abstraction. To the human mind, curves are pleasing and comforting while straight lines are cold and mechanical. Lines of any kind lead the eyes so, they interact the viewer more than for example, colour. Curves can lead the eyes along the graceful form of a leave or a body or any other form that is not straight.

COMPOSITION

Is key to making an abstract photograph work. The degree of zooming, the angle of the camera, angle of light, the graduation of the shadows the use of colour and the cropping of the image (whether in camera or in digital software), all contribute towards making the abstract photography work.

Here are a few examples of abstract photography: