An Abstract Thought (or Two)

Abstract photography is one of the areas of my photography that has to find me in the mood to play around with it.  The simple reason is that seeing the potential in the environment around me for an abstract exploration requires all of my senses, including the mind’s eye.

Being relaxed and in tune with my environment makes a big difference in how I see things, as they evolve around me, such as what happened in this little tree view that morphed itself…

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Autumn Serenity

What inspired me in this shot is the gentle warmth of the day, as the Sun played across the beauty of the color sported by these trees.

Shortly after the above image, a slight breeze picked up that gave me another idea…

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Autumn Winds

Seeing the play of the wind across the leaves with a sense of destiny awaiting, provided me with a deep sense of appreciation of the world around me.

Opening all of our senses puts us in touch with the universe and all the beauty that is encompassed by it.

Comments

10 responses to “An Abstract Thought (or Two)”

  1. Miriam Avatar

    Beautiful colors, images and thoughts Frank.

    1. jansenphoto Avatar

      Thank you, Miriam!

  2. judithreid Avatar

    Beautiful 🙂

    1. jansenphoto Avatar

      Thank you, Judith.

  3. shaunkellett Avatar

    I’m a big fan of abstract photography. An ex of mine, who was an artist whilst I was still working out which side of the camera to hold, once told me “Anyone can take a photo of a landscape and make it look pretty; art is when you make someone think”. She encouraged me to get up close to things, and view things as different angles. It’s advice I keep with me all these years down the line (though I do still like to capture a nice landscape as well!).

    1. jansenphoto Avatar

      Shaun,

      thank you very much for your thoughtful comments. I agree with you wholeheartedly that capturing anything beautiful in a photo does not make it art, unless there is something that goes beyond the mere pulchritude of the scene. In abstract expression, one has to go past the look and learn more about the emotional impact of what is captured, be it photo, painting or other medium.

      That does not mean that a beautiful landscape cannot be art, as its composition and execution can enhance the mere existence of the landscape. Early on, I had the privilege of spending quite a bit of time in museums in the Netherlands, studying landscapes and seascapes from the Golden Age of Dutch painters; hopefully, some of their approach rubbed off on my landscape work.

      But I ramble 🙂 Have a wonderful day!

      Frank

      1. shaunkellett Avatar

        And that’s why art inspires such debate! Haha.

        I completely agree. There has to be something that takes the picture beyond a mere static image. It’s one of the things I love about artwork; be it book, film, photography. I like that art can convey ideas, emotions, thoughts, feelings. A photo of a landscape can just be beautiful because the landscape itself is beautiful, but with a vision (a choice of spot, of exposure, of composition, etc) you can truly transform something.

        Anyway, I can debate all day! Haha. I honestly love both of your shots today, they’re both very similar but very different. (Yet another wonderful paradox of artwork!)

        Thanks 🙂

  4. bikurgurl Avatar

    Total beauty! 🙂 Love you leaf images <3

    1. jansenphoto Avatar

      Thank you!

      1. bikurgurl Avatar

        🙂

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