Abstract

Photographs are generally considered to represent what we see, as though capturing some fundamental truth about how the world actually looks - or at least, how it looked at the time the picture was taken. They differ from paintings, or other creative artforms, in the sense that they appear to reflect reality.

Yet this needn’t be the case. Appearances, after all, can be deceptive. Indeed, in purely artistic terms, such a literal worldview can be stifling. It’s strange how often art and artifice seem to go together.

A more creative approach is to frame an image which poses questions, or reflects not what the photographer sees, but how the scene makes them feel. Perhaps to bottle the spirit of a place, or to capture the essence of our chosen subject (whatever these elusive concepts may actually mean).

And however this is done - by finding an unusual angle, say, or by employing crafty techniques such as Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) - unexpected quirks can often result. Maybe these quirks will open up whole new realms of understanding… or maybe they’ll simply remind us to replace the pattern on our 1970s psychedelic wallpaper.

Such is the power of the abstract! :-)

The Sunflower (Cornish Sunset)

Sunflower Pies (Culm Valley, Devon)

Bridge Over Muddled Water (Culm Valley, Devon)

Swimming Trunks (Culm Valley, Devon)

Psychedelic Sunflower (A Secret Garden, Somewhere in Devon) — Psychedelic Sunflower
(A Secret Garden, Somewhere in Devon)

Tidal Scribbles (Kingscross Point, Arran) — Tidal Scribbles
(Kingscross Point, Arran)

The Swirly Bridge (Old Shiel Bridge, Moidart) — The Swirly Bridge
(Old Shiel Bridge, Moidart)

Flight of the Water Sprite (Old Shiel Bridge, Moidart) — Flight of the Water Sprite
(Old Shiel Bridge, Moidart)

False Dawn (Three Apostles, Devon) — False Dawn
(Three Apostles, Devon)

All at Sea (St. Anthony Head, Cornwall) — All at Sea
(St. Anthony Head, Cornwall)

Merlin's Cave (Tintagel, Cornwall) — Merlin's Cave
(Tintagel, Cornwall)

Roche Rock - Chapel and Hermitage (Gothic Cornwall) — Roche Rock - Chapel and Hermitage
(Gothic Cornwall)

The Power of Post-Processing

In considering the creation of abstracts, I’m generally talking about quirky compositions and/or in-camera experiments such as ICM (in which the camera is deliberately moved while the shutter is open). However, it’s also possible to simply go a little crazy with the post-processing, perhaps aiming for a kind of Pop Art psychedelic effect.

I won’t dwell on this too much, as I’m clearly no Andy Warhol (and definitely have no mind-altering substances to hand)… but as an appetiser, the brief selection below (together with the Merlin’s Cave image above) gives a flavour of what can be done.

(For these I’ve used a tool called Picasa, which was my editing software of choice before switching to the more readily-supported Lightroom…)

“Out of Me Tree…”
(A Trippy Hillside above Lamlash, Arran)

Under a Blood Red Skye (Sgurr nan Gillean, Black Cuillin) — Under a Blood Red Skye
(Sgurr nan Gillean, Black Cuillin)

Flowers of Pepperland (North Berwick, East Lothian) — Flowers of Pepperland
(North Berwick, East Lothian)

The Light Web (Exe Valley, Devon) — The Light Web
(Exe Valley, Devon)

Surrealist Sky, Tate Modern (St. Ives, Cornwall) — Surrealist Sky, Tate Modern
(St. Ives, Cornwall)

Psychedelic Rock (Bass Rock, East Lothian) — Psychedelic Rock
(Bass Rock, East Lothian)

Trip to the Seaside (St. Michael's Mount, Cornwall) — Trip to the Seaside
(St. Michael's Mount, Cornwall)

Abstract ‘Thoughts and Shorts’

While the above mini-gallery frequently features experiments with either in-camera shenanigans or psychedelic post-processing, I’ll wrap up with a pocket-sized assortment of ‘shorts’. By which I mean, more conventional images whose themes nonetheless convey a degree of abstraction.

Or do they?

I don’t know - I suppose it depends how you define abstract. And given its nebulous reputation, it’s only fitting that this concept (like the occasional snatched picture) becomes a little blurry around the edges! ;-)

‘The Scream’
(Arran Driftwood)

Sea of Holes
(Corrie Sandstone, Arran)

Neptune's Bagpipes (Kildonan Low Tide, Arran) — Neptune's Bagpipes
(Kildonan Low Tide, Arran)

Selfie Sea Bubbles (Kildonan Low Tide, Arran) — Selfie Sea Bubbles
(Kildonan Low Tide, Arran)

Face of the Forest (Eas Mòr Wood, Arran) — Face of the Forest
(Eas Mòr Wood, Arran)

Acharacle Jetty - The Website (Loch Shiel, Western Highlands) — Acharacle Jetty - The Website
(Loch Shiel, Western Highlands)

The Sky Boat Illusion (Loch Sunart from Ben Hiant, Ardnamurchan) — The Sky Boat Illusion
(Loch Sunart from Ben Hiant, Ardnamurchan)

Deep Blue (Bass Rock, East Lothian) — Deep Blue
(Bass Rock, East Lothian)

Postscript: Accidental Art and Inadvertent Abstracts

If photography is an artform, it’s surely about more than the laborious choreography of planning, composing, shooting, post-processing…? Maybe randomness should also play a part? What you might call a healthy dose of serendipity?

This idea led to a curious (non-)project, prompted by my tenuous grasp of modern technology (if not modern art). During 2024 I inherited a second-hand smartphone, in a battered old purple cover, and definitely didn’t know how to use it. Upon picking it up, I’d often find myself facing a strange setting, as if I’d handled the phone awkwardly and inadvertently activated something. And then one day, I realised that I had activated something. I’d accidentally taken a photo.

For the modern-day photographer in a hurry, what could be better? Here was fate doing it for me. All I had to do was wait for my mobile to misfire, download the inadvertent abstracts, and package it up as accidental art.

Well… it’s certainly accidental, but I’ll let the viewer decide whether it’s art. Are these images a serendipitous reflection of modern life? Or just a load of old Jackson Pollocks? :-0