Like surrealism, creating abstract images is my second main photographic goal, which I have to say is much easier for me to achieve.
One definition that explains this well is ‘Relating to or denoting art that does not attempt to represent external reality, but rather seeks to achieve its effect using shapes, colours, and textures.’ (Oxford Dictionary).
For me, abstract photography is being able to take an image (of something real) in such a way that is unrecognisable from the original object.
There are many techniques to achieve this- changing your shutter speeds, using a macro lens, playing with your focus, and photo edits to manipulate light & colour.
The most enjoyable part of the process is just spending time to watch my subject, and working out what aspect really appeals to me the most and then thinking how am I going to capture and express this?
I aim for a final image that is visually appealing, and just hints at what it actually is.
Here are a couple of recent images where I deliberately set out to achieve something abstract – what I wanted to express was the sparkle of light on water and the myriad of colours formed by waves.
Is this a style you like? Let me know if you also have abstract photos!