My recent post about abstract categories got me thinking about the fact that I don't usually make abstracts that fall into the "solely light and shape with no connection to reality" category. So, when I was photographing at Phipps Conservatory this weekend, I was determined to make one.
"Roots"I enjoy abstract photography, but what exactly makes a photograph abstract in nature? I find myself thinking about this from time to time.....like when I am keywording images in Lightroom and deciding whether to apply the abstract tag.
To me, there seems to be several types of abstract images:
1) Images that appear to consist solely of light and shape with no seeming connection to 'reality', so that the viewer has no ability to tell what the image is a 'picture of'. Here is an example I found on Flickr by photographer Stephen Tuck.
2) Images that consist of light and shape but do have a connection to 'reality'. An example of this would be this image I posted a few weeks back which utilized camera motion to make a grove of trees into an abstract. Though the photo clearly seems abstract to me, it is also pretty clear that trees are the subject.
3) Images that consist of concrete shape and form but, because of extreme magnification, the origin of that concrete shape and form remains obscure. An example of this would be a greater than 1x macro photograph of an insect's eye.
4) Finally, there is the type of abstract image that I like best, even if some might quibble with its being characterized as abstract. These are images where the object being photographed is not rendered uncertain by extreme magnification, but the image itself is not 'about' the object being photographed. An example of this would be my photo below entitled 'Buds'. While it is clear that the image is composed of plant buds, the image is really not about the buds at all but, rather, is about the repetitive shapes and forms they make.
One of the things I would like to try to do this fall season is to make some unusual and abstract fall images along with some of the more straightforward ones. This particular abstract was made by moving the camera back and forth at an angle during the exposure while it was still mounted on the tripod.
For the last week, I have been on a family vacation in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. This was a family outing and so the opportunities for serious photography were somewhat limited. Nonetheless, I did get out to photograph early on two or three mornings, before the rest of the family got up. In coming posts I will show some of these images. But today, I wanted to write about experimentation because I think it is one of the most creative and overlooked aspects of photography.... and the digital age makes experimentation easy.
Most people know how to make abstracts by moving the camera during exposures. This, and just about any other 'experiment' with motion, shutter speed, and aperture can be easily accomplished and the results seen immediately on the LCD screen of a digital camera. Although I don't suggest that immediate editing decisions regarding any images be made 'on the spot' (I think more deliberate editing is better done with a larger image on the computer screen), the immediate feedback of digital can help guide you on a course. In the case of camera movement during an exposure, the LCD can give important feedback as to whether the degree and speed of camera motion is giving you the type of results you were hoping for and suggest changes that can then be used to achieve the look you want.
One afternoon, while waiting for my kids to get ready to go out for dinner, I was walking through the garden in back of the condo where we stayed. There was a plethora of orange lilies growing and I had a few minutes to spare, so I got my camera out. I didn't want to spend time taking the types of flower photos that I might typically take at home, so I decided to experiment a bit and took a series of images using camera motion. I was hoping that the resultant abstract blur might express the essence of these beautiful, but common, orange flowers in a different sort of way.
It's always enjoyable to make photos of reflections. For one thing, many people who don't photograph never really see these types of details, and when people do take note of them it tends to be fleeting. It's only when such details are 'frozen' in time that they can be really appreciated. Most folks end up being amazed that a patch of water could really look as intensely colored as this.
There were several aspects of this particular image that made it enjoyable to capture:
First of all, to get these types of images one often has to bend and contort themselves in order to find the angle that best portrays the reflections. However, in this particular case, it was easy. The conditions were just perfect to get reflections in the water and I could just stand on the wooden deck overlooking Ohiopyle Falls with my 400mm f5.6 lens (long, but quite light) and pick out small patches of water that showed intense reflections from the trees. No bending over or twisting into painful positions at the water's edge.....nice!
It would appear that I have completed my 'rock project'....at least it feels that way. I have reached a point where I don't feel a drive (at least for now) to photograph any more rocks, and 'they' say that you will just know when your project is complete.
I have edited the series to 20 images that, to me, represent abstract landscapes within single stones. Some are landscapes as I imagine them from a usual Earthbound point of view and some are land formations as seen from far above.
I have renamed the project "Scene In Stone" and have also re-written the "Artist's Statement" as follows:
I have, on several occasions, had the opportunity to photograph the "red rock" formations found in the American Southwest. These landscapes are magnificent, but portraying their grandeur within a small two-dimensional image is always challenging. While photographing these rock formations, I found myself wondering what might be found if, instead of looking outward towards massive numbers of rocks arranged into a grand landscape, one peered inward, letting a single rock become the entire image.
What if instead of the rocks making up the landscape there were landscapes contained within each individual rock? What if there were rocks that contained shapes and patterns that were images in and of themselves?
As I began to look at rocks that were available from several different mining sources, I found that a truly unbelievable array of shapes, colors, and patterns could be found within them. In many instances, I was amazed to find that these patterns did, indeed, look just like miniature versions of the landscapes I was so used to photographing; images of the outside world that were reflected and indelibly etched into stone.
These "Scene In Stone" landscapes have been photographed using a technique called cross-polarization, which removes the glare from the surface of the cut stone, thus allowing the underlying texture and colors to show through.
Shrink yourself down and enjoy your walk through these imaginary landscapes!
So, I now invite you to view the 20 image project here.
Any comments (especially helpful criticism) regarding the images, statement, or project as a whole are welcome.
One more rock from my project finding landscapes in stone:
I am hoping to have my rock project finished within about two weeks. My goal is to have approximately 20 completed images, by which I mean having hard copy prints as well as the files for computer viewing. The unifying idea behind the project is 'landscapes within stone'--the discovery of landscapes that exist as microcosms within a slab of rock.
Today's post is one of the newer images that I have processed:
I continue to put my efforts into trying to complete a defined project. I was given some further insight today when I presented some of my rock images to a helpful reviewer at the Silver Eye Gallery. One insight that I was given is that the rock landscapes appear to be two separate but related groups....landscapes seen from a 'grounded' position and those seen from an aerial view. Thus, I think that I will have to have an adequate number of images in both groups to complete the project and am thus leaning towards 20-25 total, as opposed to 15-20.
Here is another image from the 'grounded' viewpoint:
I have posted before about my project photographing slabs of stone. I have been working on trying to complete this project. This particular rock reminded me of images I have seen of the Dakota 'Badlands'.
I have always enjoyed taking pictures of wall murals. However, I have typically photographed only isolated small abstract portions of the murals. Usually these images have no hint of what the mural was actually a painting of and consist only of abstract splotches of paint that denote only color, tone, and shape.
When I was in Montreal about a year ago I saw a mural that I found interesting. However, instead of the usual abstract 'blotches' that I typically would take, I found myself drawn to a portion of the mural that was much larger than usual for me. It reminded me of Alice In Wonderland. A year later I still like it, though I am not quite sure why!
It does seem like it has been a while since I posted any photographs. This image is one I have been working on from my series of rock abstracts. It was taken using cross-polarized strobe lighting with a 180mm macro plus 1.4x TC.
Time to get back to showing some actual images! A few weeks ago, I went out with a friend to photograph in a park that I hadn't been to before. At one point, after having been out for a few hours, the lighting became a bit harsh, so I started experimenting with making abstracts by purposefully moving the tripod mounted camera in the vertical plane. This is the sort of thing that one has to do many times over in order to get something that looks 'right'. This is one of my favorites from the series that I took.
I continue to be intrigues by the abstract patterns in Jasper rock samples. This one looked like an erupting volcano to me!
Another image from my ongoing rock photography series. This one looked like part of the US coastline to me. Would you agree with it being the outline of the state of Florida???
I just returned from another superb workshop week with Nancy Rotenberg, Les Saucier, and Don McGowan (Photography With Heart Workshops). The workshop was in Zion National Park, a place of indescribable beauty. One of the key aspects of the Photography With Heart Workshops is that though the technical is taught, the journey goes beyond this aspect of photographing and well into the much more difficult process of learning how to see.
While I am spending time sorting through the images I took, I thought I would show another recently taken "landscape in stone" from my rock photography project.
I have been spending a bit more time photographing some of my rocks that I have written about before. I call this image "Mount Sinai", as it evokes in me the idea of 'something' coming down from the heavens to the top of a mountain!
It has been a bit busy for me lately and so I have not had as much time to photograph as I might like. However, I am continuing to work on my rock project, which I have previously written about.
I just finished processing this image, which I composed because of the strong graphic shapes and contrast.
I received an e-mail yesterday from JPG Magazine that two images I had uploaded quite some time ago have become "HOT".
Check them out here and here. If you like them and are registered I would certainly appreciate your throwing a vote my way!
If you haven't discovered JPG Magazine, this is also a chance to familiarize yourself with it. It is, in my opinion, a magazine worth getting. I have a subscription myself and look forward to each new issue.
