Today, I’d like to talk about abstract photography. “Ok,” you might be thinking, “but what is that?” Well, that might be a bit more complicated to explain than you might think. I’m not sure there is any one definition. As the years have progressed, I’ve noticed that a lot of photographers seem to have different ideas about what classifies as an abstract photo. So, for today, we’ll simply discuss how I interpret the genre.

      Let’s start at the beginning. According to Dictionary.com, the word ‘abstract’ as an adjective means “thought of apart from concrete realities, specific objects, or actual instances.” If we go a bit further and look up ‘abstract art’, we find that it was “a trend in painting and sculpture in the 20^th century. Abstract art seeks to break away from traditional representation of physical objects. It explores the relationships of forms and colors, whereas more traditional art represents the world in recognizable images.” Now, if we shift to Wikipedia, we see that ‘abstract photography’ is considered “a means of depicting a visual image that does not have an immediate association with the object world and that has been created through the use of photographic equipment, processes, or materials.”

      For me, this means that any time I make an image where the graphic shapes or colors are the primary focus, rather than the item itself, it is abstract photography. Consequently, the viewer may or may not be able to determine what the object is when looking at the photograph. Lines, shapes, textures, colors, patterns are what draws the eye to the photo. Additionally, trying to puzzle out what the object is afterwards adds a secondary interest to the photo.

I was really drawn to the swirling shapes and muted colors. Can you tell what the object is? It was a rock with all sorts of interesting details, but I had to reference my notes from the photo shoot to know that for sure. Batchelders Grant, Maine

How about this one? The lines and colors were beautiful and reminded me of tree branches in winter, but it's really rivers of water branching in the sand before reaching the ocean seen from several thousand feet up. Susitna, Alaska

      There are different ways you can make an abstract image. One of my earliest methods was to intentionally put my lens on manual focus and throw everything completely out of focus. For example, I might have liked the colors of autumn leaves against a blue sky. If the leaves would be in focus at 15 feet, completely filling the frame, I’d turn the focus ring on the lens all the way as if I was focusing on something inches away. This would drastically blur all the leaves, leaving me with only the colors and general shapes to make up my image.

Can you tell what this image is of? They are fallen leaves at the bottom of a stream. I focused somewhere between the surface of the water and the leaves, making both out of focus, getting interesting colors and shapes of the leaves but also of the light reflecting off the surface of the water. Kennebunkport, Maine

I turned a polarizing filter slightly to change the reflections of light on the surface of the water and to accentuate the colors of the fallen leaves even further, as well as changing focus slightly to give a different blurred effect. Kennebunkport, Maine

      Another technique was to simply look for interesting shapes or lines in the world around me. It could be something as simple as froth in the water caused by a boat’s motor. Or, lines in the thin ice formed over small puddles. Or, the play of sunlight and shadows that obscured the true nature of the object below.

This is probably obvious as to the real nature of the subject matter, but the shapes of the ice and the rocks are still what first catch the eye. Acadia National Park, Maine

This is a bit more esoteric. The shapes were partially caused by shadow and partially just the nature of the dark mud rising above the thin layer of water on the beach colored by the reflection of the sky above. Lake Clark National Park, Alaska

These beautiful shapes and colors are created by a braided river making its way to the ocean seen from a small airplane flying overhead. Susitna, Alaska

When I first look at this image, I think of a Leafy Seadragon or some other tiny organism, but really, it's an aerial view of a river network and green landmass surrounded by watery mudflats seen from a small airplane flying overhead. Susitna, Alaska

      Macro and close-up photography can be another great way to create abstract images. When dealing with things that are very small, to view them at a much larger scale than normal can cause the brain to misinterpret what it’s seeing. Conversely, to look closely at a small section of a much larger whole can create the same effect. For example, the rough surface of a mushroom can look like an alien landscape. Or, sunlight glistening off the iridescent feathers of a bird, but the image is so close up that all you see are colors and lines.

This could be an aerial view of a desert landscape, but it's really a close-up view of tree bark. Zion National Park, Utah

This could be scraggly vegetation near treeline on a tall, rocky mountain see from a distance. Instead, it's a close-up view of moss or lichen on a rock. Batchelders Grant, Maine

Details of flamingo feathers close enough so that the lines and variations in color become more important than the fact that it's a flamingo. Stone Zoo, Massachusetts

Is this an alien world, a strange pastry, or part of a mushroom cap? I can think of so many things this photo could represent or how it could be used in a fascinating fiction story. It was a simple mushroom I found in the yard. Kennebunk, Maine

      My favorite technique, most recently, however, is intentional camera movement, or ICM. This is where you use a slow shutter-speed and move the camera in some fashion while the shutter is open. You can move the camera up and down, side to side, zoom the lens in and out, rotate the camera, or jiggle the camera. The different types of movement, speeds of movement, and length of time the shutter is open will create different effects. It all depends on what look you’re trying to achieve. These combinations can then result in only an impression of what the scene or subject was, such as with trees in the forest. Or, it can create fantastical shapes where it’s almost impossible to tell what the original subject was. Some people like to have the camera on a tripod while doing this. I find, however, that I get much more interesting results when handholding, since the movements will never be perfect or identical.

Experimenting with fall foliage, the dark of the tree trunks, and the bright sky beyond. If I hadn't told you, would you have been able to guess? White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire

This one is probably pretty obvious as simply a shot of water, but it was done with a slow shutter speed from the side of a speeding boat. Lake Clark National Park, Alaska

One of my favorite methods is to jiggle the camera slightlyl as I move it up and down, creating this fiery look to the colors. These were tiny spring flowers in my garden. Kennebunk, Maine

An obvious shot of trees in the woods, but a straight vertical movement of the camera with a slower shutter speed creates this ethereal quality. Alfred, Maine

Another experiment with fall foliage using a nearby tree trunk to anchor the photo and provide a bit of form to the image. White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire

      I think you’ll find abstract photography can be a lot of fun, something easy to do, any time, anywhere. It’s something anyone can do with any type of equipment. I find this type of photography fascinating and very freeing. It allows you to notice the little things, to experiment with your creativity, to not worry about capturing the perfect image or depicting the subject just right. It is a great tool to use when you’re in a photographic rut or to help you grow as a photographer. For me, it’s been a great way to find some joy when I’ve been very depressed or anxious. There is no right or wrong way to do it, and so there is no pressure. So, I challenge you to get out there and give it a whirl yourself. If you open your mind to the possibilities, you can make abstract images anywhere.

    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Click here to see more abstract photos.