Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Abstract

This week, Patti Moed takes a look at expressing the abstract in photography. She writes, “…we invite you to break the rules and go beyond the traditional realistic image of an object, scene, or element.” You can check out her examples here. A few weeks ago in a Facebook photo group, I completed a similar challenge preparing some images using photo manipulation to give the images an abstract impressionistic look. In my opening image, I used a filter in Photoshop Elements to express pointillism where the image is created by a series of small dots. In this case, the tool converts the image to a series of pixels, an obviously easy task for a computer, I’d think.

This image was captured while standing behind a waterfall. I didn’t need to apply any special processing tools to make the image abstract, the waterfall did that for me.

Classic car nut that I am, I like to photograph the grilles of classic cars, those from prior to the 1930’s when grilles expressed a designer’s style. In this example, a La Salle grille boasts it’s logo.

An easy way to create an abstract effect is to select a slow shutter speed and twist the zoom ring while the shutter is open. In this example, a lighted spider web is the subject. The long exposure gave time to pause a moment to expose the points of light and then the twist causes the light to “streak”.

This shot of flowers in a botanical garden was “abstracted” by using a poster filter that outlined each flower and a texturizer to give the entire image the appearance that it was printed on a fabric. Click on the image to enlarge it to see the effect more distinctly.

Probably my favorite abstraction is a view of a restaurant from the canal at the San Antonio River Walk. A collection of filters in Photoshop Elements created the impressionistic feel of this image. The effect is subtle unless you view it close up. Click on the image to enlarge it for a better view.

Thanks again to Patti for a challenge that allowed me to show off some of my personal abstractions.

John Steiner

25 comments

  1. That first one reminds me of the painting Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Grande Jatte. The flowers remind me of Monet by Georges Seurat. Secondly the flowers remind me of Monet’s Apple Trees in Blossom… Worthy homage! Great techniques!

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