Abstract Photography
Definition of abstract in relation to art:
1ab·stract adjective \ab-?strakt, ?ab-?\
Abstract Photographers concentrate on shapes, colors, and form and less on the thing in the photo.
Shooting for abstraction is a great exercise to help you train your eye and to see your everyday objects and surroundings in a new way.
1ab·stract adjective \ab-?strakt, ?ab-?\
- expressing ideas and emotions by using elements such as colors and lines without attempting to create a realistic picture
- A trend in painting and sculpture in the twentieth century. Abstract art seeks to break away from traditional representation of physical objects. It explores the relationships of forms and colors, whereas more traditional art represents the world in recognizable images.
Abstract Photographers concentrate on shapes, colors, and form and less on the thing in the photo.
Shooting for abstraction is a great exercise to help you train your eye and to see your everyday objects and surroundings in a new way.
Tips & Tricks
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1. Stephen McNeil 5 Ingredients Necessary for Taking a Photograph:
(1) camera (in this case, the darkroom), (2) light (the enlarger), (3) film/photographic paper, (4) subject (objects of choice), and (5) photographer (the students themselves) |
Creative Ways to Capture Incredible Abstract Photos
2. Man Ray Met Museum, Getty Museum Man Ray made his "rayographs" without a camera by placing objects-such as the thumbtacks, coil of wire, and other circular forms used here-directly on a sheet of photosensitized paper and exposing it to light. Man Ray had photographed everyday objects before, but these unique, visionary images immediately put the photographer on par with the avant-garde painters of the day. Hovering between the abstract and the representational, the rayographs revealed a new way of seeing that delighted the Dadaist poets who championed his work, and that pointed the way to the dreamlike visions of the Surrealist writers and painters who followed. 
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PHOTOGRAM STEPS:
Preset enlarger's timer to 5 seconds and the lens aperture to 8 (Note: You can also use any other kind of light source and timer.)
Position paper under area of light source
Place objects on paper
Expose the paper to light
Process paper in the developer, stop, and fixer Wash for 10 minutes
Dry, either hanging on a clothesline or face-up on a metal screen
VARIATIONS:
Experiment with exposure times and different objects
Move the light source to different angles so that it casts shadows
Create multiple exposures by using several short exposure times on one piece of paper, moving the objects around each time
Draw on acetate and use it as a negative over the paper
Color the dried Photogram with colored pencils or Marshall’s photo oils
Expose an entire sheet of paper to light; draw an image with a brush dipped in developer; process through the fixer and wash
Tone Reversal: Put finished (dry) Photogram face down in contact with a piece of photographic paper and expose for 30 seconds. Process.
Solarize the image by turning on the darkroom light briefly, reversing the tones
Source: Focus on Photography Curriculum Guide
Preset enlarger's timer to 5 seconds and the lens aperture to 8 (Note: You can also use any other kind of light source and timer.)
Position paper under area of light source
Place objects on paper
Expose the paper to light
Process paper in the developer, stop, and fixer Wash for 10 minutes
Dry, either hanging on a clothesline or face-up on a metal screen
VARIATIONS:
Experiment with exposure times and different objects
Move the light source to different angles so that it casts shadows
Create multiple exposures by using several short exposure times on one piece of paper, moving the objects around each time
Draw on acetate and use it as a negative over the paper
Color the dried Photogram with colored pencils or Marshall’s photo oils
Expose an entire sheet of paper to light; draw an image with a brush dipped in developer; process through the fixer and wash
Tone Reversal: Put finished (dry) Photogram face down in contact with a piece of photographic paper and expose for 30 seconds. Process.
Solarize the image by turning on the darkroom light briefly, reversing the tones
Source: Focus on Photography Curriculum Guide
