I have an ongoing series of nature abstractions, starting when I received my first camera in 1974.\u00a0 When I have shown these images over the years, I have enjoyed people\u2019s reactions.\u00a0 The first instinct is to define the content.\u00a0 \u201cWhat is that?\u201d\u00a0 It is as if understanding the content is required to appreciate the artist\u2019s effort.\u00a0 \u201cAh, so it\u2019s mud.\u00a0 Well then, it is beautiful, isn\u2019t it?\u00a0 I had no idea what it was at first.\u201d\u00a0 If I don\u2019t tell the viewer what the subject is right away, then the imagination is activated.\u00a0 The mind works to solve the riddle and in the process, gets more involved in the composition.<\/em><\/p>\n The fascinating part is how differently people see an abstract photograph.\u00a0 \u201cI see a face.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cI see silk fabric.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cI see an elephant!\u201d\u00a0 If the questions are answered quickly, then the viewer disengages sooner.\u00a0 I have often watched people flip through photography books.\u00a0 \u201cAh, lovely view of the Grand Canyon…\u201d\u00a0 Flip the page. \u201cWow, what great light on Half Dome that day…\u201d\u00a0 Flip the page. \u201cNow what is this?\u00a0 Is it a rock or a tree?\u201d\u00a0 If the caption is readily visible, the reader looks urgently for the answer.\u00a0 \u201cOh of course, it is rock detail!\u201d\u00a0 Flip the page.<\/em><\/p>\n Merriam-Webster\u2019s Collegiate Dictionary defines the word abstract, related to art, as \u201chaving only intrinsic form with little or no attempt at pictorial representation or narrative content.\u201d\u00a0 Photographic abstractions of nature are based in reality but composed to give no clear reference to it.\u00a0 Abstract painting suffers no such confusion since the abstraction comes from the artist\u2019s mind, and is not photographic or representational.\u00a0 Seeing an abstract painting does not make the viewer want to define the subject in terms of reality.\u00a0 The mind simply imagines.\u00a0 With an abstract photograph, we know the subject is real.\u00a0\u00a0 The mind wants answers!<\/em><\/p>\n Hopefully, you haven\u2019t looked ahead in my ramblings to find the \u201canswer\u201d to my image here!\u00a0 The object is rounded, yet appears flat.\u00a0 Its depth is not clear as the lighting was even with little shading at the top and bottom of the frame where the shape recedes from the camera.\u00a0 My use of a small aperture keeps the entire subject sharp, maintaining the effect of flatness.\u00a0 I used the panoramic format to imply the shape of the subject without having to show the entire object.\u00a0 The texture and cracks provide clues, but the horizontal orientation aids the ambiguity.\u00a0 The color is monochromatic, so no real clues there.\u00a0 I made the exposure with my tripod and 4×5 camera, minus its center post, low to the ground.\u00a0 The scale is about 10 x 24 inches, so my bellows was extended to focus closely.<\/em><\/p>\n The photograph here is of a fallen tree decaying on the forest floor one fine autumn day in Ohio in 1993.\u00a0 Does knowing the entire context help with your appreciation of the image?\u00a0 I wonder…<\/em><\/p>\n I find the process of making abstract imagery an exciting challenge, and the results are an important addition to the overall portrait my photographs make of the landscape.\u00a0 I want my portrait to be like an orchestra sounding the many notes of the land\u2019s diversity, and that it reflects as many ways as I perceive it, which includes my abstracts.\u00a0 As you develop your own perspective and body of work, think carefully about what you want to say, how you want to develop your own artistic portrait of the earth.<\/em><\/p>\n The above essay, written in 2001, came to mind recently when I posted some abstract photographs made recently in my home that I posted on Facebook<\/a>.\u00a0 In response to the comments, I added these words, which serve as an addendum to my 2001 essay.<\/p>\n Thanks to all of you for your comments on my last post! I love the way abstract photographs engage the viewer. I have always been inspired to photograph by a strong sense of wonder about the world around me. I look for and find beauty around me everyday, often making photographs like this one. I especially love patterns, often abstract, since I got my first camera in 1974. Whether it is fine art or not is for others to decide. I made this image in my living room a couple of days ago. We use a wood-burning stove to heat our home, and at night I turne down the vents so that the coals last until the morning. Sometimes, depending on the wood burning, some creosote builds up on the front glass of the stove door. So the subject is a pattern of creosote on glass while a fire burned inside the stove. I added an extension tube to my 70-200mm so that I could focus closely enough to show the pattern without burning up the lens and camera! Loved the imaginative guesses. I didn’t mean to frustrate anyone, but just wanted to share my sense of wonder.<\/em><\/p>\n The following images were the ones posted recently.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Please give me your feedback, and enjoy!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Cheers,\u00a0 Bill<\/p>\n Here are two more of my favorite nature “abstracts.” \u00a0Care to guess the subject matter?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The mind is an amazing thing.\u00a0 One of the great unknowns when making a photograph is how the viewer will respond.\u00a0 Once the artist has made an exposure and then edited it for presentation, a new life begins for… Continue Reading →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3805","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.williamneill.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3805","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.williamneill.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.williamneill.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.williamneill.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.williamneill.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3805"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/blog.williamneill.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3805\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3832,"href":"https:\/\/blog.williamneill.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3805\/revisions\/3832"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.williamneill.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3805"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.williamneill.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3805"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.williamneill.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3805"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.williamneill.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/wpid3817-Fallen-tree-trunk-Tinkers-Creek-State-Nature-Preserve-Ohio-1993.jpg\")
\nFallen tree trunk, Tinkers Creek State Nature Preserve, Ohio 1993<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.williamneill.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/wpid3821-Creosote-2-Ahwahnee-California-2013.jpg\")
\nCreosote #2, Ahwahnee, California 2013
\nCanon EOS-1Ds Mark III, TS-E90mm f\/2.8,
\n20.00 second at f\/11, ISO 100
\nCopyright \u00a9 2013 William Neill<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.williamneill.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/wpid3823-Creosote-1-Ahwahnee-California-2013.jpg\")
\nCreosote #1, Ahwahnee, California 2013
\nCanon EOS-1Ds Mark III, EF70-200mm f\/2.8L USM,
\n15 second at f\/16, ISO 100
\nCopyright \u00a9 2013 William Neill<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.williamneill.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/wpid3815-Dune-Patterns-Aerial-Death-Valley-National-Monument-California-1989.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.williamneill.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/wpid3819-Painted-bark-eucalyptus-the-Hana-Coast-Island-of-Maui-Hawaii.jpg\")
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