Nature AbstractsPosted by drfl on August 3rd, 2009
[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. – Dictionary.com
Some photographers argue that abstracts only really work when the subjects or location are not evident. They feel that if those items are recognizable the abstraction no longer works because the viewer is aware of the atmosphere outside of the composition. Others believe that abstraction can work regardless if the viewer knows the subject.
According to the first part of the definition above, the purpose of abstract art is to break away from the “traditional representation” of objects. It is the second part, however, in which many photographers become entrenched, “more traditional art represents the world in recognizable images”.
In my opinion, however, these artists’ view of “unrecognizable subject matter” is too constraining and rigid. For an abstract to work I think that the only necessary requirement is that the object in question is being captured in a way that the focus is more on the interplay of contrast, color, light and shapes and not be done in a way that would represent the object as an interpretation of itself. To me an abstraction can work regardless of if you know what the subject is, as long as it is done in such a way to focus the composition on the particular elements of a scene and the interplay of those elements with one another.
Regardless of your view, finding abstracts in nature can be particularly fascinating. Sometimes they are evident, such as a closeup of a spiderweb between two stalks of tall grass, and other times they appear only when the timing is right, the shadows of clouds as they move across a field. Seeking these patterns photographicly requires a different mindset from other types of photography. The subtly of some of these designs require constant vigilance in order to quickly change and take advantage upon emergence of such patterns. During the evening as the previous two posts, I was primarily photographing the large landscape with a wide-angle lens. Here I had my primary camera setup on a tripod and tried different compositions attempting to capture a large slice of my surroundings. In the last post I was able to capture the geese as they flew across the scene since I was equipped with a second body and long lens which I normally have out and prepared for wildlife.
Today’s image takes a completely different slant of the scene at hand. As the sun dipped further below the horizon the intense colors of purple and orange tinted the surrounding area, especially reflecting off the water. It is at this time that the dark contrasts of the reeds in the lake created a pattern of lines that seem to come out of the reflected clouds. I quickly changed modes, placed a mid-range zoom on my primary camera, and captured several images of these reeds at different shutter speeds and focal lengths to experiment with the look of the reeds in the water. Ultimately, I decided on a faster shutter speed so it would catch the ripples in the water to give the viewer a reference point. In some nature pattern abstract shots leaving the reference point out is a good idea, but here I feel that the circles added to the aesthetic complexity of the composition. The strong colors with the strong shapes combine to create a shot that does not represent “reeds”, but rather “abstract”.
Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 70-200 f/4l @ 145mm, f/7.1, 1/10 sec.
Jack Sinn WMA, Nebraska
This photograph can be viewed on my website at: http://www.journeyoflight.com/journey06/photo.asp?pictureid=SilentContrast&xmlfile=/journey06/xml/color/midwest.xml&x=18
