Back in my earlier years since taking up photography, I tended to get nervous when reading or hearing the word “abstract”. And maybe that stress came to me due to a lack of formal photographic education. Unfortunately, being self-taught comes with different prices to pay.
Nowadays, while enduring my never-ending journey into learning, I understand better what abstract photography is all about. And by the way, the following words are easy to say but monumental to achieve.
In my understanding, abstract refers to pressing and shrinking a variety of concepts down into a humble piece of craft.
In the art of photography, it becomes a minimal visual representation of the concepts one is willing to convey toward an audience. The ultimate goal of any abstraction should be delivering an aesthetic experience in one way or another. But how could we explain this feeling to a younger version of ourselves?
I would be happy to know that an aesthetic experience is and will always be an encounter with anything capable of evoking an emotional or intellectual response. Therefore, in photography, it could be defined as the moment in which our senses engage with compositional elements like colour, texture, etc.
The following images are fine examples of how solid visual abstractions can become. These were selectively hand-picked from our latest Weekly Photography Challenge, on abstract flowers and it was tough to decide from so much talent being shared!
Photo of the Week
Are you wondering what we have here? Well, it's a humble weed seed on a piece of soldier illuminated with LED lights.
It’s very rare, I think it only occurs in my repair shop every 50 years. When the shop light is cold and only half on and the bulk soldier strips are out on my bench for a cable repair and one of these seeds happens to fall out of what ever piece of equipment I’m working on and lands in just the right place.
The image was shared as part of the weekly photographic challenge. And thanks to the details shared by Robert, we can see beyond the abstract intention of the photograph and realise how beautiful this frame is.
Congrats Robert, and thanks for giving such a detailed description as well!
Weekly Photography Challenge Digest
Thanks again Tersha and Dahlia for pushing our creative boundaries one step forward every week!
For more fantastic abstract beauty check out the 681st challenge thread.
A Highlight on the Latest Activity at our Community
How familiar are you with Groundhog day? Lightandshadow shares this beautiful low-level landscape shot during this curiously popular cultural event. According to 53 groundhogs, this year we will have an early spring.
beth shared this odd finding,
a fishing area in florida. you can see the new bridge on the left. instead of completely removing this bridge they decided to cut it and fence off the end.
and
golden hour and twilight in the black hills. taken with the mavic 3 pro. sd state parks are pretty lenient with drone use, just follow all of the faa rules and don’t chase the buffalo (or any other wildlife).
Patrick shared a simple street scene, which felt to him like asking to be framed; a nice gift from late night scouting!
Erik, welcome back, thanks for sharing this beautiful frame!
And remember, we've decided to make things more interesting in our place. Get all there's to know about the “New Light Stalking Monthly Contest with $250 Cash Prize” in the following link, and don't forget to vote!
We'd Love To Hear Your Thoughts
Our Feedback Forum is a fine place for all those people wanting to grow fast as photographers. Here, you'll get your work reviewed by well-intended photographers, but you'll also have the chance to comment on the work of others. We believe in the power of feedback, and here are the latest shots shared in the pool:
The Shark Tank is a great place to learn and to discuss, but please read the instructions in order to get a better experience. Share your comments, opinions and doubts on any or all of the images above. We also will be delighted to see some of your own images. Remember all comments are given to the photographs; not the photographers.
Also, don't forget to participate in our upcoming challenge!
