I was hoping to capture photos that include light bulbs but turned out when I tried to edit them they didn’t work well, so instead I took photos of room floors. I think my final triptych worked pretty well as they connect to each other no matter on the view or color. I was inspired by an exemplar work that was posted on dx, so I used the same color as what the exemplar showed. What was personal about my work was that I took a total of 48 photos but in my perspective these 3 photos were the best. If I had more time I could’ve took photos that include light bulbs since that was what I hoped for, but I didn’t have time, sadly. Overall, I think my combination of the 3 photos in my triptych worked pretty well.

All Photos:

Lightroom (IMG_4092.JPG and 110 others)

Yellow:

I chose these photos because I think these correspond to abstraction by shooting from different angles. It was on purpose that some of the photos were a little blurry to show better visions of the photos in the different angles.

Lightroom (IMG_4097.JPG and 20 others)

Green:

My thought process of choosing these green photos from the yellow photo pile was, I just chose 2 sets of abstraction photos to show my understanding of abstraction and a few blurry photos to show what my focus and vision was when I took those pictures.

Lightroom (IMG_4097.JPG and 9 others)

Red:

These were my favorite pictures because I think I shot the picture really well with my friend in it from a special angle and the set of abstraction photos were also shot in different angles. One area of improvement could be to take more abstraction photos, I didn’t find much places/items to take.

Lightroom (IMG_4097.JPG and 3 others)

1. Explain what the phrase Formal Elements means in photography.
2. Describe each of the 6 elements discussed so far (line, shape, pattern, texture, tone, focus)
3. Give an example that emphasizes each element (you can use your own image or an image from somebody else – but it must be cited!)
4. Can an image show just one element at a time? Justify your answer.

Formal elements are visual features that can transform simple subjects into great shots.

Line: Start by looking for lines in your composition that can guide the viewer through your shot or to a specific focal point. These are known as leading lines. Your lines don’t necessarily need to be straight, horizontal or vertical; they can be curved, angular, or random too.

Shape: Regarding shape in photography, this usually means a 2D subject outline. In contrast, form refers to a shape with a more 3D appearance. We’ve put these two together for this video as one formal element.

Pattern: Symmetry and repetition make interesting photographic subjects. And when you start looking, you’ll see a surprising amount of patterns around you in the natural and built environment.

Texture: Texture in your composition can bring your image to life by giving the viewer a tangible connection with it, and is particularly popular in macro photography. You can draw textures out of all kinds of surfaces and environments. And to do this, you can use a wide range of lighting setups and shoot with a variety of depth-of-field.

Tone: Focusing on tone in your image means using variables of contrast and light and dark areas to bring depth to your image.

Focus: When taking photographs you’ll have to seize the focus rate in order to avoid blurriness.

Some artists like to focus on just one or two formal elements in their artwork, however most artworks have a mix of visual elements in one piece. Usually, there will be one or two dominant formal elements that help to convey the meaning or mood of an artwork.

How have Edward Weston and Aaron Siskind (above) been influenced by the Straight Photography Movement?

Aaron Siskind started approaching Straight Photography at around 1940 and identified the ideas and styles. In the later photographs he continued to emphasize the modernist concern with the flatness of the picture plane, but intensified his approach to picture making – with close-up framing, as well as emphasis on texture, line, and visual rhymes – creating abstract images of the real world.

What makes the work of contemporary photographers Andreas Gursky and Uta Barth abstract? Can they be classified as pictorialist or straight photographers? Explain your response.

Andreas Gursky was decisive in creating a new standard in contemporary photography, a pioneer who furthered the possibilities of scale and ambition.  His use of large-format cameras, scanning, digital manipulation, the layering of multiple pictures to create a cohesive image, and technical postproduction positioned him as an important bridge between the old ways of shooting and presenting pictures and the current highly, technologically advanced era of photography.

Citations:

“Aaron Siskind Artist Overview and Analysis”. [Internet]. 2024. TheArtStory.org
Content compiled and written by Kara Fiedorek
Edited and published by The Art Story Contributors
Available from: https://www.theartstory.org/artist/siskind-aaron/
First published on 05 Jun 2014. Updated and modified regularly
[Accessed 20 Sep 2024]

“Andreas Gursky Artist Overview and Analysis”. [Internet]. 2024. TheArtStory.org
Content compiled and written by Hope Guzzo
Edited and revised, with Summary and Accomplishments added by Kimberly Nichols
Available from: https://www.theartstory.org/artist/gursky-andreas/
First published on 21 Sep 2017. Updated and modified regularly
[Accessed 20 Sep 2024]

Now write your own definition of abstract photography add to your blog.

I think abstract photography means to take images created using photography materials and equipment that don’t have an immediate connection with the physical world. Abstract photographers often use perspective, movement, and light to transform the world we see into an unexpected, often recognizable image.

Abstract photography can be defined as capturing images in which the subject isn’t the most interesting element. Albert Renger-Patzsch 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.

Under the starting point, describe your Initial thoughts about the unit. What do you think is meant by “Abstract photography can be defined as capturing images in which the subject isn’t the most interesting element”?

I think the sentence meant that in Abstract photography, the target is to take pictures in any way the photographer wants, and not setting a clear subject when he is taking it to make the photo look more unique.