Last week, the focus of the images was on the various states of water and how its abstract views come into play. This week, I’d like to talk a little bit about experimenting with techniques.
Early on, most of my abstract captures were achieved through various adaptations of a zoom blur using various twisting techniques. After lots of experimentation with this method of abstraction, I decided to start exploring a number of different approaches, which opened up some interesting looks and images.
Faerie Loops
Impressions of a Tree
Oaken Falls 2
Texture of Leaf and Light
The Maze
These images highlight some of my approaches. Faerie Loops was inspired by the light playing across the long grass; I immediately envisioned luminous faeries leaping through the grass, as their terpsichorean tribe passed in front of us. This gave me the idea of using a slight hop movement with my camera, providing the jumping effect. Impressions of a Tree came about from closing my eyes to slits while looking at the light playing through the canopy; you can see the simple movement in the light traces.
Oaken Falls 2 was the result of the tree giving me the sense of a cascade of light playing through the leaves; a bit of experimentation led to this image with a waterfall of light in it. Texture of Leaf and Light is more a study of what is felt through the mind’s eye rather than the physical eyes; I wanted to capture the feeling of the leaves and their interaction with the light rather than their physical shape and being. A slight bit of playing with the focus and its exact depth worked well in this case.
Lastly, the Maze was all about creating the sense of being surrounded by grasses. To get the desired effect, I got down rather low to the ground (the grasses were about 30 cm tall) and experimented with a slight bit of rotation of my camera, rather than zoom blur. Shooting upward toward the sky gives the feeling of entrapment among the tall grasses.
I hope you enjoyed this bit of exploration of different techniques and the results that they can provide. Remember to have fun with your photography and keep experimenting!
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Author: jansenphoto
A Fresh Perspective
Photography is more than just a vehicle for capturing the world around me; it provides me with a palette and a set of brushes, with which I paint not only what I see, but also look to express the emotions that are evoked by the scene in front of me in that moment.
Growing up in the Netherlands exposed me to a wide cross-section of visual arts that laid the foundation of my photographic view of all that surrounds me. Early influences were the Dutch Masters of the 17th century, to whom I was introduced by my grandfather during museum explorations; favorites among them are the scenes of quotidian life depicted by Jan Steen and Frans Hals and the vivid landscapes of Jacob van Ruisdael.
My classical high school education was supplemented by the Boijmans Van Beuningen museum, where I spent many a lunch hour exploring its great collection. Here I was introduced to surrealism with a particular love for the approach taken by Salvador Dali; Dali also rekindled my appreciation for the work of Hieronymus Bosch, who often showed the folly of us mortals.
Universal Connections
My approach to any photographic subject is to look for understanding first; in this I look to establish either a connection between the viewer and the subject or capture the connection of the subject with its surroundings. The captured image then aims to portray this connection from a perspective that is part of my personal interpretation.
This interpretation is often a form of externalized introspection, which may alternately display the connection of isolated beings and items with their environment or highlight the whimsy of the profound world, in which we find ourselves. The universe is full of connections, many of which are waiting to be discovered; part of my journey as a photographer is to document these connections.
Any assignment, be it an event, a product shoot or a portrait session is always approached through communication with the client; this is where the first connection is established. Ideas are exchanged and a collaborative plan of action forms, ultimately resulting in a set of images that aim to exceed the expectations of each client.
And, lest we forget, it is important to have fun while practicing the serious business of photography!
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Dutch goes the Photo! 
I’ve had a lot of out of focus/fuzzy photos, but sometimes they have an appeal of their own. These are spectacular. I love Oaken Falls 2
Thank you most kindly! One of the key aspects with taking these photos is to get the composition working properly. It’s fun!
Love these. I can quite imagine it’s a Faery land you’ve accidentally stumbled upon. Magical images 🙂
Thank you very much!