Abstract photography

Photoshop and Lightroom have added considerable diversity to the art and creativity of abstract photography.  Which is a wonderful thing and so much fun (if you have the tools and time).

But exploring in-camera creativity, can also help develop your technical ability and extend your personal creativity. I would like to share a few tips in building abstract photography creativity in-camera. This is using the Aperture, Shutter speed, ISO, over and underexposing, and most importantly, finding the image.

The examples I show are all created in-camera. There is always a bit of basic dark-room editing done in Lightroom such as adjusting the contrast, highlights, shadows, white, blacks, and perhaps a bit of saturation to enhance the colours. This only takes all of a few minutes.  It probably takes longer to go through which of your images conveys the right message!

So here’s to experimenting, embracing your mistakes, having fun, and exploring a bit of photographic art outside the strict guidelines of creating a perfect image.

FIND INSPIRATION

As an artist and photographer, looking to other inspirational artists is a great idea. From here you still need to develop your own style. Artists use theories of design, composition, colour and mood etc, which photographers use as well.

Two of my inspirations are Uta Barth who explores subject-less photography with an emphasis on light and shade. Referencing Tate.org.uk: “her work inverted the notion of background and foreground in photography and bringing awareness to a viewer’s attention to visual information with in the photographic frame”.

Also another inspiration is New Zealand painter John Drawbridge, who expressed his art through abstract and colour, and the use of visual metaphors such as framing and concepts of memories.

You still need to explore and develop your own style – but a few coffee table books from the library to gaze over from time to time will keep the creative thoughts flowing.

Let’s look at a few examples and exercises to try.

Atmospheric – out of focus:

Lighting is important! And the rule applies when photographing creative images out of focus. The two images shown have been taken at dusk. They have no defined subject, yet the images still express an emotion through a point of focus enhanced by the colour, shadows and light. 

Using a telephoto lens, and a preference for aperture priority, set your aperture to the widest opening (F5.6 or less). Then, using manual focus – focus on the scene – turn your lens to take the scene slightly out of focus. Take several photos at various stages of ‘out of focus’ as it takes a few images to get it right.  I have yet to successfully replicate these images, which makes them quite unique in their own right.

The key is to think about colour and shape, as well as composition such as horizons, thirds, and the typical elements you would consider when creating an ‘in-focus’ image. Once downloaded, do those tweaks in Lightroom and look to see if the image needs cropping (which is most likely in my experience).

Creative diffused image using reflections:

Diffused can mean several things… you may want to take an image through light fabric, a curtain or a window.  The images below have been taken through a window to achieve the soft diffused effect. The image challenges your perception of seeing. The colours inside the building compliment the scene being photographed through the window.

Open the aperture up wide such as F2 – F5.6 (this softens the dirty windows in each of these images as well), and set a low ISO (depending on the lighting conditions). Manually focus while looking through the window and adjust the focus to ‘find the desired reflected image’. Think about how the colour impacts and also how the tonal range compliment the set.

Using the rule of thirds to place elements within the image will may help to strengthen the composition.

Create images that tell a story: 

As I was walking past the window I saw my daughter working on a sewing project. The reflections of the trees and the long light into the room had me grabbing my camera quickly before the light disappeared. Manual focus is best so you can decide that right level of blur.  Why blur? Why not?  Look at the surrounding light, shadows, and glare and take these into consideration when taking the photo. Are you looking for colours that are soft and diffused, strong and bold, complementary or contrasting?  Soft curves and vertical lines strengthen the composition of these images.  Negative space adds an element of mystery and the images are subtle and incomplete yet still tell a story.

Try those ideas for now! Next week I’ll talk a bit further about the use of over and under exposing, in the same context of blur and out of focus.

Hope you enjoy getting creative with a new way of seeing, and thinking about how you can create in-camera!

Bye for now.

Destina

Take a look at some other images here…

Colour palettes

Narrative of moments through colour and light

In-Camera Creative