Abstract photography can be a lot of fun. Furthermore, it can result in some impressive images. However, some skill is required to create great abstract images. Composition is one of the most important of those skills. Composition determines how the form, color, and curves are placed in an image. There are many ways to approach composition. Performing a systematic review of the field of composition is beyond the scope of this article. However, three aspects of composition will be covered.
* Rule of Thirds
* Golden Triangle
* No Rules
Golden Triangle An alternative approach is the golden triangle. When using the golden triangle, a diagonal is drawn from one corner of the image to the opposing corner. Then, lines are drawn from the other two corners such that they intersect perpendicularly with the first diagonal. The center of interest is placed near one of the intersections of these lines.
No Rules: These two rules can be used to create excellent images. On the other hand, with abstract photography, you can sometimes just forget about the rules and go with anything that sparks your imagination.
Art of Subtraction
People respond to abstract photography on an instinctual or emotional level. So, when creating abstract images, one needs to remove anything that does not strengthen the viewer's emotional reaction. This is referred to as the art of subtraction.
So, how does one go about creating an image that communicates an emotion? It comes down to a three step process: 1) identify the emotion, 2) identify the elements that strengthen the emotion and add them to the image, and 3) subtracting everything else from the image.
A natural response might be to ask why this is so important. The answer is that items in an image that help the image communicate its emotion strengthen the image. All other items serve only to dilute the image .In short, all things that do not strengthen the emotion of an image weaken the image.
In Summary
Strong abstract images come from strong compositions. Of course, there is a lot more to learn about abstract photography.
Want to learn even more about creating abstract images? Check out Ron's in-depth abstract photography article at Creating Abstract Photography Images. Are you interested in other photography subjects? Check out Ron's extensive set of articles at Photography Article List.