• In what ways are your chosen artist’s photographs abstract?
  • The photographs showcase strong geometric shapes and lines; the complicated architecture changed into their most basic forms. The use of light and shadows creates dramatic contrast; the use of light emphasizes the texture and patterns, which allows the viewers to focus on the structure rather than the function.

• What do you like about the style? Be specific and explain your answer.
  • I like this style because it could evoke feelings of balance and harmony through simple shapes, lines, and structures, bringing the viewers into a deeper level of engaging with image composition. These images would showcase the beauty of design and encourage the audience to appreciate the artistry in architecture.

I chose this photographer because their focus on abstract architecture aligns with my vision of highlighting beauty in everyday structures. Their work encourages me to see architecture as art, emphasizing light, shape, and form rather than just functionality.

• Focus on Geometry: Look for strong lines and shapes in architectural elements.
• Experiment with Light: Use different lighting to create interesting shadows and highlights.
• Use Black and White: Capture images in monochrome to emphasize texture and form.
• Isolate Details: Frame specific parts of buildings to draw attention to their unique features.
• Depth of Field: Use focus to highlight subjects or keep everything sharp for context.

I am inspired by this artist to create outstanding photographs from everyday scenes. Their abstract style inspires me to experiment with different compositions and angles, helping in the development of my own architectural photography aesthetic.

I chose this image because it beautifully shows how light interacts with the architectural elements , creating a calm space.

What surprises me is how the light creates interesting patterns and shadows on the wood, making the simple design feel more dynamic and engaging.

Light is the most important element here. It highlights the textures of the wood and adds depth to the image. This play of light and shadow creates an emotional connection, making the space feel lively and inviting.

Compare your images with the drawings. Which ones worked and why?

Which ones didn’t work so well, and why?

Image 1:

I think this image represents figure 6 because the backgrounds are both clean filled with negative space and a circular object in the middle.

Image 2:

This image should represent figure 5 because of the vertical lines, however when the image was uploaded it was rotated so the lines are now horizontal.

Image 3:

This image represents a zoomed in of figure 9. The golden lines separates 2 materials into four pieces.

Image 4:

This image also represents figure 5 because of the lines which are supposed to be vertical, also the blank background attracts focus to the lines.

Image 5:

This image shows figure one, there is a  direct contrast between the top half of the photo and the bottom half. Also the image is fairly separated, the portions are balanced.

Image 6:

I think this image could represent figure 8 because of the tiny fairly spaced circles, however I could make the connections between the figure and the image clearer by taking close ups of the tiny holes when directly in front not on the side.

Image 7:

I think this image could represent figure 4 because of the thick black horizontal lines and the small white spaces between them.

I believe all of my images throughly represented the drawings because they all showed the main components in the drawings. I think images 1, 5 and 7 best represents the drawings figure 6,1 and 4.

I think image 2 didn’t really work because there were too many lines in that one image but the drawings only had two lines. Also there were 2 colors for the background which the drawing only had one color for the background and no distracting elements.

Light & Shadow

My triptych will explore the area of light and shadow, revealing how they shape mood, depth, and emotion. I want the viewers to feel a sense of mystery, contrast, and appreciation of beauty in both darkness and illumination.

For inspiration, I will search for photos that could capture dramatic lighting, natural shadows, unique-shaped shadows, and heavy contrast that could emphasize its texture and form. For example, the buildings at 798 would create large geometric shaped shadows on the ground, or I could create a contrast between the buildings and the sky.

The light and shadow could tell a story of balance, contrast, and the unseen beauty in the world.

Dunes, Oceano      Edward Weston, 1936

“Abstract photography can be defined as capturing images in which the subject isn’t the most interesting element. Albert Renger-Patzsch, Edward Weston and Aaron Siskind photographed the ordinary to reveal their beauty. Uta Barth reversed the typical use of the camera, shooting out of focus and Andreas Gursky photographs the repetition of elements. During this unit you will investigate appropriate examples of abstract photography and respond in your own way.”

3 Things:

1. Shape, the curves of sand dunes create organic flowing forms and lines
2. Tone, contrast of light and shadows on the dunes, highlighting 3 dimensionality.
3. Texture, the texture of sand adds a tactile quality to the image

If you were the photographer, what title would you give it?

I would call it “Sculpted By Wind” because the waves sand dunes are made by the natural blowing winds, it emphasizes the abstract and sculptural qualities of dunes.

Describe the use of line, shape, pattern, texture, tone, and focus

• Line: The soft, flowing lines created by the ridges and curves of the dunes, guiding the viewer’s eye through the composition.
• Shape: The dunes form organic, rounded shapes that resemble waves or sculptures, creating a sense of movement and fluidity.
• Pattern: The repetitive ridges and valleys of the dunes create a natural pattern, adding rhythm to the image.
• Texture: The dunes have a visual, even material aspect due to the minimal visibility of the granular sand texture.
• Tone: The dunes’ three-dimensional structure and depth are enhanced by the dramatic tonal contrast produced by the interaction of light and shadow.
• Focus: The image’s abstract, almost surreal aspect is maintained while the fine details of the dunes are captured by its great focus.

Pictorialism Movement:

The pictorialism movement was a photography movement and technique in which photographers used soft focus and darkroom tricks to create artistic, emotional images in the late 19th to 20th century to make digital photos look like paintings.

Straight Photography Movement:

Straight photography emerged in the 20th century, it focused on clear and sharp images with the camera’s ability to accurately depict reality.

Pictorialism: Artistic, soft focus, manipulated images.

Straight Photography: Clear, sharp, unmanipulated images.

Straight Photography was popular because it showed the unique power of the camera capturing reality clearly, without making the image look like a painting.

Influence on Edward Weston and Aaron Siskind

Edward Weston used sharp focus to capture and create detailed images of natural objects.

Aaron Siskind focused on textures and patterns, creating abstract but sharp images.

Gurskey & Barth

Gursky and Barth are more of modern abstract photography than traditional Pictorialism or Straight Photography photographers. Because Gursky focuses more on Straight Photography because of his sharp, detailed images and Barth’s work is abstract but doesn’t use traditional Pictorialist techniques like soft focus and darkroom manipulation.

Formal Elements – Are fundamental visual elements that contribute to the composition of an image. These elements help guide the viewer’s eye to create a visually compelling image.

Line:

Lines are basic visual elements that define shapes and create structures. They could be curved, straight, vertical, horizontal, or diagonal to guide the viewer’s eye through an image to a focal point.

Shape:

Shapes are two dimensional areas and geometric shapes. Such as squares and circles, they can create abstract compositions and structure or form in an image.

Pattern:

Patterns are designs or shapes that are repeated that creates visual interest and rhythm. Examples like leafs in nature and human made textiles.

Fessenden, M. (2016, May 10). The Science Behind Nature’s Patterns. Smithsonian. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/science-behind-natures-patterns-180959033/

Texture:

Texture is the surface quality of a object, it could add realism and depth to an image. Examples like surface of wood or paint coming off walls.

Photzy. 18 Stunning Examples of Patterns in Photography. Photzy, https://photzy.com/18-stunning-examples-of-patterns-in-photography/. Feb 13 2025.

Tone:

Tone is the lightness and darkness of color, it could create contrast, depth and mood in an image.

Carey, Athena. Fine Art Photography. Visual Wilderness, https://visualwilderness.com/post-processing/using-tonal-contrast-better-bw-photography. Feb 13 2025.

Focus:

Focus refers to the sharpness and blurriness of the photo, which could direct the viewer’s attention towards a important point or areas.

It is almost impossible to only have one element in a photo, for example lines must have some parts dark and some parts light to be visible, a shape requires color and tone to stand out.