Tag: abstract

Warped Wednesday – pt. 3

Variegation to the max

The foray into abstract photography has very much been a voyage of exploration and discovery.  Along the way, I have learned to control the various techniques and improved my visualization skills, so that I can figure out how to get the image that I want just using the camera.

The process is a combination of taking in the landscape or environment, in which I find myself, allowing myself to become absorbed by my surroundings, and then opening my mind’s eye, so that I can see the morphed image.

Cryptomorphosis 1
Cryptomorphosis 2
Cryptomorphosis 3
Cryptomorphosis 4

These images are a series that I shot while visiting my mother in the Netherlands.  It’s a view of a wall covered with variegated vine; when I saw it, I noticed that there were some hidden patterns that were trying to emerge into the visible dimension.  I titled this series Cryptomorphosis 1-4, using the Greek roots for hidden and form.

I’m curious to hear what you see in these images.

 

Warped Wednesday – pt. 2

Out of the fog…

In the first post of this series from last Wednesday, I mentioned my abstract photography and shared one of the images that has come forth from those endeavors.  There will be more coming up from my Kryptomorphaics in future WW posts, but I figured a slight detour was in order this week, as one of your comments inspired me to do so.

The particular comment mentioned taking multiple images of herself in the same photo, which caused my mind to go back to a particular image that I captured on a November morning several years ago.  The visual mind is funny that way!

The occasion was a photography trip to Chincoteague, which is absolutely fantastic to visit and capture.  Our plan was to photograph the sunrise from the beach and hopefully have some cool clouds to work with to really make it worthwhile to get up early.  On this morning, the weather gods decided to play tricks on us: there was a heavy sea fog that did not want to burn off.  So, I turned my mind to doing something a little different with the conditions that were presented…

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Spectral Apparition

 

Yes, there is a spectral apparition coming in from the waves!  It happens to be yours truly.  With this much fog, I thought it might be interesting to set up for a long exposure (about 10 seconds for this shot) and slowly walk in from the ocean toward the camera.  It took a couple of attempts to get the look that you see here.

The result of this experiment was pretty fun; I twisted the coloring of the shot a bit in post-processing to make it a touch more ethereal, and, voila!

Pretty warped, and another experiment.  Have you ever tried experiments of this nature?  Would be fun to compare notes!

Warped Wednesday – pt.1

Transmogrification

As promised with the New Year there may be a new series of posts to try out something different and see how you like the idea…  Yes, it’s all up to you to determine whether Warped Wednesday will become a regular feature.

You may be aware that I enjoy the occasional bit of abstract photography among my plethora landscapes and other subjects that catch my mind’s eye.  What I enjoy most about abstract work is the process of discovery: finding something within the view in front of me that I can change, transmogrify in camera.

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Process of Detachment

This image is a bit more unusual among my abstracts, due to the process that I used.  The Canon 5D MkIII has the capability to do in-camera HDR, where it combines 3 exposures into a single JPEG using High Dynamic Range imaging techniques.  The exposures in this case range from 1/10 second to 1.6 seconds; the fastest exposure was held still and when I got to the 1.6 second exposure, I twisted the barrel of my lens to get a significant amount of zoom blur.  This confused the in-camera HDR processing to such an extent that artifacts were created around the leaves, which caused a sense of the leaves detaching themselves from the background.

Now, I’ll admit that I didn’t know what the final result might be, as this was a bit of an experiment.  Trying out different things and techniques is part of the fun of exploring in photography and many other areas in life; it’s good to stretch the boundaries and keeping those experiments that we like.

I kind of like this experiment… what do you think?  Have you ever tried some different techniques?

An Abstract Thought (or Two)

Autumn’s best morphs before us

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.

Vegetal Morphism

Strings of the universe

In today’s WordPress Daily Post Prompt, the word is Vegetal.  Both an unusual and interesting word, in that its definition in the dictionary lists it as an adjective:

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of vegetables of plant life
  2. of or relating to processes in plants and animals that do not involve sexual reproduction; vegetative.

For me, these definitions invoke images of lush plant life that reproduces in spectacular fashion…

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M-Theory

This image invokes both plant life and the forces of creation in reproduction. In no way is it passive in the way we often relate to the term vegetative.

What images are brought to your mind by this concept?

Technical Data

This image was captured with a Canon EOS 5D Mk II using an EF 24-105mm f/4L lens.  A zoom blur methodology was used to create this effect in camera at 1/3 second, f/14 and 100 ISO.

Out of Chaos grows Order

Running of the Whimsies

The WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge challenges us to embrace disorder and its creative power with the theme of Chaos.  The concept of Chaos is very old, as it was the starting point for creation in Greek mythology, albeit personified enough to have children in Gaia, Tartarus and Eros.

For me, Chaos is a great starting point, from which to create or recognize that, which was created, but hidden by a maelstrom of randomness.

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Field Whimsies

This image shows us a significant amount of chaos, but we rapidly detect a pattern; from this we discern that there is a migration in progress.  The Whimsies are racing for their lives; from what they run, we cannot tell yet, but it is likely to be a significant threat.

Abstract Sunday – Forest Aberration

Movable forestry

It’s been a while since I have added to my portfolio of abstract photography, which is always a source of inspriation for me to try out other new areas of capturing images.

As I went along with my wife to her herding lesson with our Cardigan, Dorothea Lange (aka Dora), I did a little wandering around to explore the farm property.  After taking some more representational images, I felt like experimenting with the woods border the farm.

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Forest Aberration

What do you think?  Do you ever experiment with your photographic methods?

Technical Description

This image was captured with my Fujifilm X-T1 using a Fujifilm XF18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 LM OIS WR lens.  Exposure settings were at 1/6 second, f/10 at 200 ISO.

Transmogrification – Kryptomorphaics

Rose particles flow

The WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge is often very interesting, and this week is no exception with the topic of Transmogrification.  This topic is near and dear to my heart, as I have a series of abstract images that I title Kryptomorphaics.

The concept behind this series is to reveal that what lies hidden from the eye (crypt-) through transformation (morph-).  The details of this series are described in a series of posts that start with TTT – Abstract Photography – ep. 1.

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Rose Particle

This image is an example of revealing the energy that lies within this lovely rose; it truly vibrates and resonates with the frequencies that traverse the entire universe.

Technical Details

This image was captured with a Canon EOS 5D Mk II using an EF 24-105mm f/4L lens.  Exposure settings were 1/3 second with f/16 at 200 ISO; a zoom blur technique was used to create the effect in camera.

The Elusive Rose Particle

Between dimensions lies beauty

In the annals of Particle Physics there is always discussion about the next particle to be discovered.  At which energy level can we expect to find it?  Can we verify its theoretical mass?  How stable will it be?

Heady questions, all of these!  In the alternate reality that surrounds us within hidden dimensions, we simply need to uncover the pathways into these dimensions and let our mind’s eye guide us across them.  When we are in an adequate frame of mind to follow these pathways, we find untold beauty and a wealth of new knowledge.  One of these paths leads us to this elusive vision of beauty…

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Rose Particle

The Rose Particle is a rather elusive superposition of energies within interstitial dimensional space.  When perceived, it radiates universal energies, which have been known to establish beautiful patterns.

In response to Daily Prompt – Elusive.

Technical Details

This image was captured with a Canon EOS 5D Mk II using an EF 24-105mm f/4L lens.  Exposure settings were 1/3 second with f/16 at 200 ISO; a zoom blur technique was used to create the effect in camera.

Daily Prompt – Simplicity

Simplification is beauty

In today’s Daily Prompt we are asked to look for Simplicity.  In a world fraught with complex issues and interactions, Simplicity is an important concept to embrace, as we remind ourselves to enjoy those simple moments, such as a smile, a touch, a nod or an embrace.  These simple moments are what bring humanity together, as we recognize that we all have the same needs, wants and aspirations, such as peace and harmony and safety for our families and ourselves.

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Amber Waves

This image captures the simple beauty of the amber tones within a tree during the beautiful autumn season.  It allows us to just absorb the color and motion of the moment and enjoy it.

Technical Details

This image was captured with a Canon EOS 5D Mk II camera using an EF 24-105mm f/4L lens.  Exposure settings were at 1/3 second, f/10 and 100 ISO.

Inspired by the Daily Prompt – Simplicity.