Its all in the mind.
For some, abstract art in whatever form is lost to them. If its not a captivating portrait or landscape then its just ...meh! In photography it is the same. For a lot of photographers, they just don't get it, and find it hard to flaunt the rules they have learned. Its all about creating nice, well composed images for them and abstract photography is for the arty set, or worse they harbour thoughts that abstract creators aren't professional and are constantly making mistakes and call it abstract.
Rules, such as composition and accurate focusing hold no values. The abstract photographer uses his or her creative imagination to create stunning and unusual works of art. The final image is not necessarily going to mean the same thing to everyone, the beauty afterall is in the eye of the beholder. Abstract photography leaves more to the imagination and lets us concentrate on texture and colour. In this respect its all about looking and seeing everyday objects in our life in a different way and maybe adding a little mystery and intrigue to your images.
When I posted one of my Phoneye images to facebook it generated a few queries. Yesterdays daily shot brought me to create something similar. Read on to see how I created Gigerkin.
Rules, such as composition and accurate focusing hold no values. The abstract photographer uses his or her creative imagination to create stunning and unusual works of art. The final image is not necessarily going to mean the same thing to everyone, the beauty afterall is in the eye of the beholder. Abstract photography leaves more to the imagination and lets us concentrate on texture and colour. In this respect its all about looking and seeing everyday objects in our life in a different way and maybe adding a little mystery and intrigue to your images.
When I posted one of my Phoneye images to facebook it generated a few queries. Yesterdays daily shot brought me to create something similar. Read on to see how I created Gigerkin.
The image that generated the queries, Silent Scream is below. Although it was created before I started this blog, my latest shot follows along the same lines in how I created it.
#29 Silent Scream shot on 29th Jan 13
#37 Gigerkin
Shot on 6th Feb 13
Shot on 6th Feb 13
At the start of this post I mentioned about looking and seeing in a different way. When I seen the pumpkin cut up on the counter I thought that the colour and stringy, fibrous texture was interesting and knew that this could be my daily shot. I shot it from a few angles and when I got lower it occured to me that it was starting to resemble some sort of still from a horror movie. Even at this point, the rib like formation and cavern in the flesh sparked the thought of the pod in the movie Alien. From then on, it could only be my homage to HR Giger. The Gigerkin.
As well as, 'what is it' questions I recieved for the Silent Scream image, people wanted to know how it was edited. I used the Snapseed App and did so again for Gigerkin and this time I will show my workflow.
As well as, 'what is it' questions I recieved for the Silent Scream image, people wanted to know how it was edited. I used the Snapseed App and did so again for Gigerkin and this time I will show my workflow.
Original unedited pumpkin shot
Starting with the chosen image above. I opened it in Snapseed. You can do both global and selective adjustments in Snapseed. Along the bottom of the app is the selection tabs. To me the image is very flat. So I selected selective adjust. I then put a nodal adjustment point on the top area of the pumpkin.
Screenshot of Snapseed app and nodal points.
You add adjustment points by tapping on the '+' and then tapping on the image where you want adjustment. You then swipe up and down on screen to select brightness, contrast and saturation. You adjust each control by then swiping left or right. In the above image I have selected contrast by moving my finger down on the screen and making a contrast adjustment of +25 by moving my finger to the right. If you like the adjustment you have made you can hold down on the nodal point and select 'copy', press another area of the image and select 'paste'. This is what I done above so that I have 3 nodal points with the same adjustments. Press the tick and Snapseed will process your adjustments. The settings were,
I then clicked on the details tab and added
Then I selected the drama tab and selected drama #2 and swiped across the screen to adjust the filter to +70. Click on tick to process.
It was then that I added the texture to the image by selecting the grunge tab.
- Brightness +20
- Contrast +25
- Saturation - 3 as I thought the image was too orange.
I then clicked on the details tab and added
- Sharpness +10
- Structure +20
Then I selected the drama tab and selected drama #2 and swiped across the screen to adjust the filter to +70. Click on tick to process.
It was then that I added the texture to the image by selecting the grunge tab.
On pressing grunge tab it will overlay a texture on your image. You can select the kind of texture by pressing on the chequered box, coloured blue above. I selected texture 5. Then dragging you finger left or right will change your texture style. Pressing the shuffle symbol in the bottom bar will randomly change whatever item you have currently selected. You can also move the texture overlay around by clicking on the image and moving the blue point that will appear. Much the same as the Selective adjustments, if you press and hold on the screen a box of options will appear to adjust your texture.
Keeping your finger on the screen, scroll down to the adjustment you want to make, then drag you finger left or right to adjust. In the above image I'm about to adjust the texture strength. My settings were
- Texture 5, style +975
- Brightness +6
- Contrast +15
- Texture strength +25
- Saturation +30
- Click tick to process
Gigerkin
Well thats how I arrived at the final image, the Gigerkin, using only my phone. I hope its inspired you to look at things in a different way and isolate areas of a subject that will give you an abstract image. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment or drop me an email.
See y'all next post.
See y'all next post.