Hi I'm Doug McKinlay and you're watching AdoramaTV. For this video we're going to look at
some of the aspects of abstract in photography. AdoramaTV presents
'Stay Focused' with Doug McKinlay. For today we're going to look at the abstract. It's
all around us, both in man-made structures and in nature.
Like abstract art, abstract photography concentrates on shape, form, color, pattern and texture. And like art,
it can be interpreted in a wide variety of ways, often creating compositions, often bearing little
or no resemblance of the object that has been photographed.
Abstract photography. It doesn't convey any realistic depictions of the world.
It's a break from reality either wholly or partially. It's more emotional and
intellectual. So let's break down a few fundamentals of abstract photography
Form. Form is the most important component of abstract photography.
It's the shape of the object being photographed. It's the foundation of the whole picture.
So to understand this we need to train our eye to look at the form. Always ask yourself is
this an interesting shape? Will it make a good composition? This stairwell is a good
example of form. Don't forget that we're trying to find an interesting aspect of
subject not necessarily the whole thing. So approach it from angles, move your feet,
bend your knees, look up, look down, get on a bench. Just really explore it from all angles.
It's all about how you as a photographer perceive what is in front of you and then
looking to represented as you see it.
Color. Color can be very emotional. Different colors can evoke different
emotions. With color, though, a key creative tool is how the contrast and
saturation is used. Either with a single color or two or three colors juxtaposed next to each other.
Line. The third key element of abstract photography is line. Lines have grabbed the
attention of the viewer and lead them into the image. They help emphasize movement making
dynamic images. The lines can be straight or curved, it doesn't matter as long as you're
doing the job of fixing the viewer's attention.
Next up is selective focus and controlling depth of field. Focus on one
element of the subject and let the rest blur out. This of course will be influenced by the
F Stop chosen so large apertures mean a narrow depth of field and more blur, so it's up
to the photographer to choose the point of focus, coupled with an F Stop to
create not only the correct amount of blur, but where it will start and where
it will end. Of course choosing to blur the image irrespective of the F Stop is
also a creative choice and can make striking images. Panning and tilting the
camera while on a tripod, or using a slow shutter speed on moving subjects are just few ideas.
Next up is light and shadows. Strong abstract images will often have read in the
picture with good highlights, balanced by areas of dark shadows. These kinds of
images can be very powerful. Ironically, some of these pictures can be had when
the sun is high in the sky, usually not the best time to shoot.
But with great shadow potential, it just takes a little imagination and shoe leather to
get some interesting snaps. As I said earlier, lines are key component of
abstract photography, but add some texture to the mix, and the images become that much
more interesting. Just remember that if highlighting texture is your goal, it's
best to use subjects with more subdued colors,
so as not to blow the texture out with strong light. Zoom in. Using a zoom lense as an
abstract tool can be quite interesting. You need to mount it on a tripod to avoid any
kind of camera shake, find a subject with a strong central element and shoot with a
slower shutter speed. How slow is a matter of experimentation. I find using this
technique at night in the city with lots of street lights can throw some really
interesting pictures. It just takes a lot of practice. Start with a wide angle of view
and then zoom to the narrow one. It rarely works the first time but after a few tries
you'll get the hang of it.
Just to finish up, there's a couple of things I'd like to mention.
First off it's supposed to be fun, so get out there and practice, practice, practice.
Abstract photography is a year-round thing. Every season produces its own unique
set of subjects.
Thanks for watching. I'm Doug McKinlay for AdoramaTV. You can subscribe to AdoramaTV
for more great videos. You can like, comment, or share this video and please come by
the Adorama Learning Center for more great tips and tricks.
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