Don’t like abstract photography? It’s one of those things you’ll either love or hate. But it’s important, and there’s more to it than you probably know.
What is abstract photography?
It is perhaps easiest to describe abstract photography by starting with what it is not. Objective photography is the opposite of subjective. It tries to be a factual matter and is not influenced by the personal feelings or interpretations of the photographer or the viewer. In contrast, abstract photography aims to be purely subjective, the viewer interprets it according to their personal experiences. A catalog photo of a bird on a stick is as close to objectivity as you can get, while a photo of its distorted shadow on the wall would be abstract. But it’s not that simple.
All photographs fall somewhere in the spectrum of these two extremes. Even a bird photograph is subject to personal interpretations and can evoke emotions. That blurred background is an abstraction. That’s not what you see behind the bird, but that blur is an idea that could be open to personal interpretation.
Abstraction is to do with thoughts and ideas rather than matter. Therefore, abstract images can mean different things to different people. A great photographer sees and thinks about the world in a way that the average person cannot. In abstract photography, this is considered extreme. Photographers found a unique interpretation of reality. Then, importantly, they also allow the viewer to determine the meaning of the image; they allow the audience to understand the image the way they want it.
That personal interpretation requires the intelligence and imagination of both the photographer and the viewer. Furthermore, it offers photographers a means to express themselves beyond the confines of what they consider reality.
Like the blurred background behind the bird, in photography abstraction is often achieved by removing or altering our usual perception of a scene using different techniques. We represent the world using lines, shapes, forms, marks and colors that do not necessarily match what the naked eye sees.
Critique of abstract photography
The main criticism, of course, was the Emperor’s New Clothes. Some random shape or square in a photograph can be defined as nothing more, without any additional meaning. I recently heard someone describe it as a hoax and a lot of “fairy nonsense”. There is an objection to that; the viewer is not capable of extracting any meaning other than that it is a set of squares.
However, abstract photographers are okay with rejecting their work; if the viewer sees their photo as a collection of meaningless lines, that’s a valid interpretation. In other words, if you only see a rattle, it doesn’t matter. It’s okay to build it that way.
The idea of abstract photography is that the photographer and viewer look beyond objective reality; they will all interpret the images in a unique way, depending on their personal experience.
Furthermore, our two-dimensional images are only interpretations of our four-dimensional world. Just as we can change the way the world looks to us by squinting, peering through frosted glass, or seeing it reflected from the back of a spoon, changing the way it appears in our photos Are we reasonable?
Abstract philosophy
Like many artistic movements, abstraction is associated with philosophy. It is considered to have a moral, virtuous aspect. Honesty, integrity, simplicity, harmony, acceptance, spirituality, etc. are all qualities associated with abstract art and photography. Some argue that no art has moral virtues; it’s just art. However, it is both valuable and comforting to think otherwise. Useful because it gives us instructions on how to proceed with creating our images. Consoling because it removes conflict. For example, how often does a person become stressed and angry because they disagree with another person’s point of view but do not see that their opinion is also invalid? An abstract photograph can open up to any interpretation you like, and it is easy for the photographer to accept and learn from the other person’s point of view. So appreciating that abstract photography may not appeal to everyone is a good thing.
It’s hard to break from the naive realism in photography
Naive realism is the philosophy that the world around you is exactly as you perceive it. Photography and videography are intrinsically more associated with visual reality than any other art form because a photograph and a film often closely resemble what can be seen with the human eye.
So getting rid of that and creating an abstract image often means deviating from the methods we normally use to create a realistic image. Removing elements such as color, tone, background from a photo, or just placing the camera where our eyes would normally not see it, can create an abstract image.
Have You Created Abstract Photographs?
So are you creating an abstract photo if you use abstract techniques? Let’s say you take a close-up shot of a bird to create a shallow depth of field, convert it to black and white, and emphasize its markers with the contrast controls in the process. Is it an abstract image? Stroll along the boardwalk and place your camera on the ground. Are you then capturing an abstract image? If you want it to be, then yes, you are. If you want the image to be completely objective, you’ve achieved that too. Just don’t expect others to always interpret it the same way.
Abstract method in photography
We often try to be precise with our technical settings with photography. With abstract photography, we can forego what we normally consider the right approach and do something completely different instead. For example, we are careful about where we place the focus point. With abstraction, on the other hand, we can get rid of that idea and focus on another subject or even on the space in front or behind it.
Much of the abstract work involves movement of the camera or subject during exposure. I love taking pictures of purposeful camera movement, although it’s becoming an all too commonly used technique now. Likewise, using low light or ND filters to show motion is also something I enjoy doing. Conversely, a high shutter speed can be used to stop motion and reveal shapes and patterns that we might not otherwise be able to see.
Another thing that we always strive to achieve is sharp optics in objective photography. So by using the opposite we can stay away from sharpness by using faulty optics. We can place transparent obstacles in front of the lens to degrade the image quality or completely distort the light entering the lens.
Try using a prism, lens ball, scratched filter, aspherically applied filter, and angled glass in front of the lens.
Similarly, we try to make our colors accurate. Color filters can add strange effects. We usually try to reduce noise, have the correct exposure and use good lighting for our photos. In abstract photography, it doesn’t have to be. By combining different techniques, there are dozens of opportunities to create unique abstract images.
Are you a fan of abstraction or is it something you don’t like? It would be great to hear your thoughts and even see some of your photos in the comments.
