Whatever it grants to vision and whatever its manner, a photograph is always invisible: it is not it that we see.
-- Roland Barthes.
The first thing I thought of when the word ''Abstraction'' was said was a distorted version of reality, something that is not instantly recognisable and something that leaves questions lingering on your mind. Abstraction, some say, can be a representation of life but not real life. By that I mean life through their eyes and their representation of life. That what I personally believe makes abstraction so interesting and different because you can create your own reality.
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All art is abstract, because art is an abstraction of the truth.
-Milford Zornes
Some of the earliest documented abstract photographs where in the 19th century. In 1842 John William Draper created images with a spectroscope. Here is an example of what he had created.
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Barbara Kruger is a conceptual artist and collagist. A large sum of her work consists of black and white photographs overlaid with 'Decretive' captions. Born on the 26th of January, 1945, Kruger continues to have an influence on peoples work, and most famously supremes clothing line. Clothes that are like art, similar to her work, overlaid with a decorative caption.
Heres some examples of her work. |
Afterwards, I selected the picture around the desired area (so I didn't have the white bit around the edge) using the command tool. Once I had done that I used CMD + C to copy the selection, then CMD + V to paste the picture on top of the other image. Using CMD + T in photoshop, I selected the image and transformed it. I enlarged it so the photogram on top was the same size as the image on the bottom. |
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I sliced up my photoshop outcome using the strimmer. I chose to cut it up randomly because personally feel that would give it more of an abstract look than cutting it up in a specific way.
I also sliced it up because I haven't seen that done before, and it gives me a chance to be able to mess about and play with different placements of the paper, random assortments and different looks. |
The overall idea of my photographs is meant to reflect the natural abstraction we find around us. And the composition is meant to reflect how through photography we are able to change the way we perceive things we may see as regular, or may look past as we are walking down the street.
I selected my photographs in a specific way- I chose the ones that may seem like they make sense at first, but once you begin to wonder and question they make less sense. My pictures are black and white- not because I chose to- but because the printer glitches. Once they had finished printing, I fell in-love with the way it looked. The world around us isn't naturally black and white (unless you're completely colourblind or a baby) so it made the picture more abstract then it originally was. |
Aaron Siskin is an American photographer widely recognised for his involvement in abstract expressionist movement.
Siskin was born in the beginning of the 20th century. After becoming a teacher, Siskind became interested in documentary photography after becoming a teacher in his later life. In 1945, Siskind published a series of photographs that he titles 'The Drama of Objects.' |
From the photographs Siskin had taken in this series, this photograph is personally my favourite.
I love the contrast between the light and darkness. The shadows underneath the 'paper' really puts an emphasis on it, making it stand out more than the rugged, grey background. Siskin has cropped this picture in a very specific way, too. He has isolated a very busy part of the overall picture. The use of the cropping gives a very in-depth feel, making the picture more personal and intimate. The contract between the textures also gives the photograph more personality and creates an abstract feeling to it, since it isn't instantly recognisable. Rugged, bumpy wall and the smooth, flat paper makes you question where about this could be. |
Gottfried Jäger is a German photographer and is considered to be one of the most influential German photographers.
Jäger has published many books about the history of experimental photography, including English translations: The Art of Abstract Photography (2002), Concrete Photography (2005) and the last one Light Image and Data Image. Traces of Concrete Photography (2015). One series of pictures that Jäger had created really interests me: Theme and Variations II - Crack. Within this series Jäger focuses on cracks in an enamel bowl. |
Based on my research of abstract photographers, I responded to them by creating my own photographs using their ideas and techniques, My main inspiration for the photoshoot was Gottfried Jägers use of extreme close-ups to create an abstract image. A lot of happy little accidents happened during the shoot, many being over exposure because I couldn't quite get the hang of the camera.
I also played with shutter speed, slowing it down blurred the photographs and I really liked the way that looked. I love the way the zoomed in photographs looked too, the viewer is able to get up close and personal with the object in the image, being able to see every detail. The use of focus in my photographs also gives an abstract look, by focusing on one specific thing, it makes it stand out. But I focused on the background, more than the foreground. Or I focused on a very small portion of the foreground, leaving a large area of the photograph blurred. Many of my photographs also explore nature, and how its natural state has been interrupted by rubbish and man made objects, but the icy day made the man-made objects seem partly like they're being overtaken by nature. |
This is my first attempt at using masks to create an abstract photograph. I actually accidentally made the mask by aimlessly drawing and doodling onto of the drawing because I didn't like how the drawing looked. I liked the black and green/yellow strips so I decided to cut the mask out and cut out the main parts of the face (one eye, mouth and nose). Because I didn't really have anything else to do I asked my friend to hold it over their face. I angled the camera and focused and out came a cool abstract photograph. I liked the idea of that so I asked multiple people to hold it over their face.
After that, I did more reserch on mask-based-photographers, and developed my ideas, getting rid of the hand holding the masks and replaced that with sticks, and I made the masks more abstract within theirselves. |
Out of the 19 pictures I took, I chose these 8 to be part of my exhibition. I personally feel like the focus looks really sharp, and I feel like the pictures have just worked really well. I will furhter refine and develop my final pictures, to make them reach their full potential. Sharpening and smoothing edges. |
To reach my final outcome, I had to enhance and refine the picture I want to be the largest. I was taught how to change the white and grey scale to an image so it looks less yellow, and I sharpened the image so the edges looked more refined.
I then, to reach full A1 size of my largest picture, cut out each quarter of the image and printed it a4, then enlarged each quarter to A3 size. I really like the idea of making the still life the background because it shows off the basis of my entire exhibition. I will do the same for the remainder of my images, but make them vary in sizes. then curate my final outcome. |