There is no rule in photography that your subject has to be clearly identifiable. Abstract photography, for example, consciously strives to create an image without a clear subject.
In other words, abstract photography denotes something that can be interpreted but not seen. The attraction of abstract photography is that it asks us to look beyond the obvious and find a new meaning for ourselves.
For those who are interested in abstract colour photography, where do you look to for inspiration? The answer is simple: all around you! Abstract photography can transform even the most (seemingly) mundane of objects. Pioneer colour photographer Ernst Haas, one of the masters of abstract colour photography, enjoyed shooting peculiarly shaped fragments of peeling paint, torn billboard posters, and even crushed beer cans. Another master of abstract photography, Pete Turner, finds inspiration in subjects as ordinary as plastic garbage cans and beach umbrellas. Look around your home – your kitchen cupboards, your fruit bowl, your jewellery are all potential subjects. If you venture outside, neon shop signs, street lights, traffic lights, modern buildings and wet pavements all create interesting combinations of lights and colour which are just asking to be shot!
Another great place to look is the natural world e.g. flowers, rivers, trees. The key to finding subjects for abstract photography is understanding that the world is full of patterns and colours and therefore images!
In much abstract colour photography, the colour, rather than the subject, becomes the dominant element in the composition, as in the following photograph of hot air balloons…
Various techniques can be used to achieve this effect. For example, zooming in on the subject can isolate interesting colour combinations which become subjects in their own right. These photographs work best if you can frame the shot so that the subject is not immediately recognizable. This can be done by showing the subject from an unusual viewpoint, using a longer lens or even a macro lens. In the following photographs, the subject is not obvious at first (or even second) glance. The first is of an umbrella but what is the second? Coat-hangers perhaps? The fact that we cannot be sure doesn’t matter; in fact, it adds to the photo as we are forced to treat it not as an ordinary true-to-life photo but as a work of art.
In the following photo, the mass of red dominates the picture; it is only when we look closer that we realise it is a shot of red, autumn leaves.
Once you have chosen your subject, you can make it even more interesting. Try spraying water on it – wet surfaces produce fascinating patterns, colours and reflections, as in the shot of a wet pavement given above. Also try varying your lighting by using different colour filters. If you use a digital camera, filters can be added later using Photoshop. Alternatively, de-saturate your image to black and white and then adding a little colour to bring out key aspects of the image. And remember that you need not be limited by the colour combinations you find around you. Try mixing different colours of poster paint on a plate and then shooting them using a 100mm macro lens; you’ll be amazed at the results! In the following photograph the photographer has created her own colour combinations using what appear to be coloured inks:
Another common method used in abstract photography is blurring. In the following photograph, the photographer used a slow shutter speed (1/3 sec) to transform an everyday image into something out of a dream: -
It is not always essential to give any structure to the arrangement of colours within the frame – what is essential is that the result is comfortable on the eye. Having said that, do bear in mind the points discussed in my previous article on how to use the colour wheel. Notice how, in the photo below, the complementary colours magenta and cyan are used to create a colour combination that is pleasing on the eye:
Last of all, it is important to understand that abstract photography, like abstract art, is subjective and open to various interpretations. Therefore don’t take it too personally if someone doesn’t like your photos; it is likely that someone else will! The important thing is that your photos so challenge the viewer to see beyond the obvious. I’ll leave you with some comments from a Fotoflock member on one of her photos. As these comments prove, the great thing about abstract colour photography is that, instead of representing the real world, it encourages you to step into a new one.
"RED shrieked and BLUE fainted. While GREEN tried to revive her, BLACK stood in the corner, sombre, WHITE sat down to meditate. YELLOW laughed at the fracas, PURPLE started solving the mystery and PINK got busy calming us with sweet charm. What will I do with them, I thought. Can't leave them, can't live without them. But how I wish they wouldn't turn my life upside down."
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