The blog website decreases the quality drastically, I can probably airdrop it instead.

In each of the photos, there’s hints of elements like line and shape. The black is the main focus, the subject of the photo. So it can be implied that there’s also focus because it’s focusing on one part of the photo or lack there of. In some of the images, like photo 4, 5, 6, and 9  have a repeating pattern in them. Lastly, tone can also be implied because there’s black and white, meaning there’s two different parts of a photo and would probably be differentiated by shadows.

 

 

 

1. 

I like this photo, but I didn’t like how half of the frame was taken up by what looks like a blank space. I feel like this composition could work if you found something with more interesting color and/or texture.

 

2.

This photo is hard to really see the composition, but I think it’s interesting. But if it was a normal photograph, or a different style, I wouldn’t find this photo very interesting. I think the color of the air conditioning helps with it making it pop a little. I think this composition would work very wekk if it was a light on dark background or vice versa.

 

3.

I personally don’t like this composition, but I think it can be executed correctly. In the example or original photo, it just looked like static. For abstraction, repetition is an element, but I think the pattern has to be identifiable or it just looks like TV static. I wouldn’t use this composition.

 

4.

The photos nice! Again, it’s really good in the repetition aspect. I think the dark and light have to be very distinct for it to work properly.

 

5.

This is the closest I have to the example. I think it’s cool, if it was executed properly I think it would definitely catch your attention.  It highlights the subject, which is contrasting to the background. It’s also off center, which would be considered bad in some other forms/rules of photography, but I think it’s good for some forms of abstraction.

 

6.

I don’t think I executed the composition correctly in this photo. The circle in the example is dark and contrasting to the background. If done correctly, I think it would be cool! Maybe with a background that’s simple so the small/medium size subject would catch your attention easier.

 

7.

My photo is a little bit tilted. The composition is cool, but I wouldn’t see how you would use it other than windows. Unless you find something that looks similar or hand-make something of the same shape, it could work.

 

8.

I’m not sure if the subjects are strictly circles or if it’s focusing on the pattern, but it’s fun to look for! Though the composition is also very recognizable and occasionally limited. Especially when you’re just looking around in the natural world.

 

9.

The thin lines shown in the example is hard to really take photos with. It has to be thin enough to be visible but also thin enough not to block out the view in the back. I wouldn’t go out of my way to use this unless the requirements are met.

 

10. 

This composition is very open to other options and environments. I really do like this one and it’s kind of one of the compositions I naturally do without thinking.

 

11.

I also think this is one of the easier compositions! This one is quite common and natural, but it’s also very limiting when it comes to being unique.

 

12.

This one might be my least favorite to shoot so far. It’s hard to come by, but the results  are pretty. Again, this one doesn’t have much options and is  very recognizable. I wouldn’t try for this composition, it relies a lot on texture and a close up shot of concrete could achieve this.

Paul Strand, Abstraction, Twin Lakes, Connecticut’

One of the interesting things in the photo could be the shadows created by whatever is creating the bar like shadows in the back. Another interesting factor is the shape itself. It looks like there’s a slate, the main focus, and something stair like. The last interesting piece is the texture of the slate. It looks like concrete and you can only see the texture in the shadows, in the brighter areas it looks almost like smooth plastic.

If I was a photographer, I would name the photo “Piece of Sidewalk” because the texture of the concrete or the slate itself reminds me of the concrete you would find on the sidewalk.

The lines in the photo are all the shadows. They’re very clear and sharp, clearly showing the object in front of it. This also goes for shape. The shape of the main, round slab is contrasting the sharper and more rectangular parts of the image. For tone, there’s values depicted through the shadows. You can tell where is lighter and where is darker naturally. Texture is mostly seen in the dark shadows on top of the main circular piece of concrete, having specs and air bubbles that showcase the concrete material. In the background, the way the light is more visible on the edges gives me a metal vibe. The pattern is mostly seen in the shadow, having bar like shadows across the photograph. Lastly, the focus. There isn’t many parts that are blurry or out of focus, this reflects with the definition of  abstract photography. There’s multiple subjects in a photo, so nothing is very blurry.

The Formal Elements of photography are 6 elements present in every photo and can be described as such. These elements being line, shape, repetition/pattern, texture, value/tone, and focus. The element of line is the literal line of an object or scenery; the outline of the curve or the horizon line. Shape is the general mass of the object in the photo, like the shape of the subject or the backdrop. Repetition or pattern is a repeating image/motif in the photograph. The texture is the roughness or the smoothness of the surface of what’s being photograph. It can also be like a static effect overlaid on the image itself. Value or tone is the form or the contrast between light and dark. This is often seen as shadows or the lighting highlighting a certain part of the subject. Lastly, the focus is how sharp something is in the photo. Often the main focus is the main subject of the photo and will traditionally be the sharpest thing in the photo.

 

Example of line.

The horizon is a clear and clean line across the entire photo.

 

Example of shape

The shape in the image is the individual apples that make up the bunch.

 

Examples of repetition/patterns.

The repetition is each step, they follow one after the other in the same, straight forward looking pattern.

 

Example of texture.

You can see the texture of the straw hat.

 

Example of value/tone.

You can see the depth and value of the subject and the background. The value is the darkness versus the light.

Example of focus.

The focus is sharp when it’s on the lady, but the background is blurry because it isn’t the main focus.

 

I believe an image can show multiple elements of photography at a time. It’s an element, meaning it’s a n aspect of a photo. There can be multiple aspects that make up a photo. For example, the last photo shows the different sharpness by using  focus, but you can also make out the shapes and lines of the boat too.

 

Abstraction photography is different from abstract in art. While art can express something without it being anything, photography is different. Clicking a button is capturing something, it’s not as easy to convey raw feeling though taken pictures rather than drawn pictures.

Abstraction is like distorting, tweaking the colors, and making the pictures “weird” with intentional but also natural feeling. The art or the meaning of the photo is completely up to the photographer. Manipulating angles and the way objects are positioned in a way where nothing catches your attention more than the other, creating their form of art. Or taking pictures in intentional lighting to make it look like something else.

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.

 

My initial description of abstraction is where there’s a lot of objects or shapes in an image with no clear main focus, or something bright in color and uniquely disproportionate. When it says that abstract photography doesn’t make the subject the most interesting element, I believe it means that there is other elements that compliment or rival the subject. Either that’s shape, color, texture, sizing, or other visual elements. This could also mean that there isn’t a main subject. In other forms of photography, there’s a object that’s the main focus, but in the few abstraction pictures examples that isn’t always the case. Sometimes there’s more than one subject or showing a subject in a new light.