This week, Ritva challenges us to think outside the normal photo subjects and instead think of the abstract. She writes, “Abstract photography breaks the normal rules of realism. It turns everyday scenes, objects, or textures into visual poetry, inviting viewers to see beyond the surface. It plays with light and shadow, blurring reality and using vibrant colors. Abstract images evoke emotions, spark curiosity, and challenge our perception. It is a genre of photography that focuses on the shapes, colors, textures, and patterns of the subject, rather than its literal representation.” You can read her entire challenge post here.

While sequestered at home during the pandemic, I experimented with a technique that modified typical images. Using Photoshop Elements, I created a “twirl” using a sequence of steps. Since then, I have adopted Photoshop’s full version, which now contains a simpler filter to create a twirl. I used an image of a rock wall and applied the filter to create my opening photo.

The process I used in 2020 was more sophisticated than the simpler twirl filter now built into Photoshop. As you can see by this example, it contains some geometric variations not present in the Photoshop Twirl filter. If you are interested in creating twirls like this example, there are several YouTube videos that can walk you step-by-step through the process. Just search YouTube for Photoshop Twirl Effect.

One autumn day, I found a leaf on the ground that had an interesting color pattern. I put it on a placemat and captured a cellphone photo of it. I then used a Photoshop filter pattern to create surreal patterns in the leaf and the placemat. I don’t remember the specifics of the filter I used. It turned out to be a lucky selection.

A set of LED lights depicted an African scene. I created this in-camera effect by setting a long exposure (0.5 sec), and after clicking the shutter, I rotated the zoom lens on the camera.

A few months ago, I experimented with an effect originally developed by Josh Adamski. He has some very unusual images, all done in post-processing. The technique helped capture this Native American performer at a PowWow. The original background was cluttered, and since the performer wasn’t yet onstage, it was distracting. Using Photoshop or Luminar Neo (I can’t remember which now), I separated the performer from the background by putting them on separate layers. The background layer was rotated and blurred, then the performer was reintroduced over the blurred background.

For a view of the metadata or to pixel-peep in high-res, you can view this entire gallery on my Flickr site here. Last week, Donna of https://windkisses.com/ rocked our world with her Earth Day theme. I really enjoyed visiting everyone’s take on that challenge. Next week, it’s Egidio’s turn. Remember to follow him here so you don’t miss his challenge post. If you’d like to join the challenges but need help getting started, check here.

John Steiner