Lens-Artists Challenge #296 – Abstracts

bird, air, flight, motion, abstract

In Flight

“Fly with love in your heart.”

Anthony T. Hincks

This week Ritva has challenged us to include abstract images in our responses. Her post does a wonderful job of describing and illustrating the concept. Since she has explained and shown abstracts so beautifully, I will simply add that I find abstract art compelling when done well and occasionally enjoy playing with techniques to create it. For example, my image above captures an egret in flight using long exposure while in the image below I used Intentional Camera Movement to create an abstract lily pond.

lily pond, green, movement, abstract
Dreamy Lily Pond

“Remain transcendental, aloof, detached, a lotus flower in the pond.”

Osho

I enjoy working with images and this week am choosing to feature some of my results as nature collages. First up, a set of images featuring unaltered scenes captured this spring on Kiawah’s beach – natural abstracts if you will.

kiawah, beach, abstract
Beach Abstracts, Kiawah Island

“Sitting on a beach or walking through nature makes me come alive always.”

Ian Somerhalder

I call the next set of images “blacks and browns”. The subjects are diverse except for the consistency of color. From left to right: Top- Angkor Wat stone columns, Kiawah tree bark, Art in Israel, Bottom-Kiawah tree bark II, Maine rock, Area Rug.

black, brown, tree bark, art, abstract
Blacks and Browns

“Life is a painting and you are the artist.”

Paul J. Meyer

I chose to focus exclusively on Kiawah’s nature in the collage that follows. On both ends of the top level I created abstracts by shooting water reflections. The center image was a vertical pan of springtime’s marsh grasses. The bottom row includes our sweetgrass up-close, and beside it some weeds bordering a pond which I captured last week on our famous Ocean Course .

reflection, plants, nature, ponds

“Nature always wears the colors of the spirit.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Last but not least, I edited some images using Photoshop’s special effects (fx). In some cases I don’t even remember what the original images were. My favorite of the set is on the bottom right which is an edited pile of oyster shells from a recent gathering here on Kiawah. Sometimes it’s fun just to play. These are certainly abstract but calling them art may be a bit of a stretch! 😊.

abstract, P/S,
Editing For Fun

“Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game.”

Michael Jordan

As suggested by the amazing Michael Jordan above, I had fun with Ritva’s challenge and hope you do too. Please remember to link your posts to her beautiful original here, and to use the Lens-Artists tag to help us find you. We offer thanks to Ritva for her challenge and to Donna for last week’s rock challenge. Who would have guessed the stunning variety we’d see on the subject?! Finally we hope you’ll join us next week when Egidio once again leads our challenge. Until then as always please stay safe, be kind and enjoy the journey.

Looking for more information on joining our challenge? Click here.

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95 thoughts on “Lens-Artists Challenge #296 – Abstracts”

  1. Dear Tina
    we love your abstract pictures, especially the first one. Perfectly edited 👍 👍
    Thank you very much for sharing
    The Fab Four of Cley
    🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

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  2. Gorgeous abstracts and your edits enhancing some of them to new heights I am sure. (You mentioned that you did not remember the original pictures!) One of my favourite posts – ever! I can feel how you loved to play with these and the results are wonderful, as are the natural ones.

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  6. Wow. So many fantastic photos. What a treat your post was. The egret looks like an angel floating in the air and the second picture, a watercolor. I really enjoyed your collection.

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  8. These are really abstract. Some you have used some interesting techniques, and others are just interesting. Some, like the last two, I can’t tell which. Fabulous, Tina! 🙂 Now, I’m off to find something abstract in my world of record shots. 🙂

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      • I made it this week! I enjoy seeing them every week. They are lots of fun, and I always learn something. How many Lens-Artists are there now?

  11. Pingback: Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #296: Abstract – Calling-all-RushBabes

  12. Wow Tina, your selction of abstracts are terrific!! Really love the opening shot of the egret (beautiful colors in the background) and college of beach scenes!! I think this is one of your best posts!!😊

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  16. In general, I like abstracts. Most of the time I think of paintings and sculptures, but I never thought of photography delivering so many abstracts. Whether it be through photographic techniques or through software treatments, you’ve opened my eyes. Thanks for that … plus I noticed you used captured nature. Well done!

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    • Thanks Frank. I like abstracts too but honestly I like any type of art that’s well done. I do have to push myself a bit to understand and appreciate modern art tho, truth be told!!

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  20. You have a gift for finding fun/play in abstract photography, way to inspire us to do so too. As I scrolled through each photo I smiled and could see you smiling too, it’s freeing to embrace the not so serious side of photography that indeed becomes seriously fascinating when framed so well – that’s FUN indeed! 

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    • Thanks I.J., not sure I could recreate that one – it takes a bit of luck not the least of which the bird needs to be flying by at the right time and at the right height!!

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  23. What a beautiful collection of images. I recently purchased some ND filters and plan on playing around with ICM. You’re photos have inspired me to give it a shot.

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  25. A deep breath comes to mind once again when I read and roamed through your images, Tina. Beautiful galleries from far and near and like Sarah, I like the way you set your choices up into galleries. I tried to guess the feature photo prior to my reading. My guess is you will always see the softness of an egret in flight from that day. I saw a silky cloth lifted up by the wind to land…who knows where. So pretty. I love your abstracts from your walks last week. The beach is so full of treasures, as you so eloquently display. In the next set, as I was wowed by a bit of your travels, and yet the area rug also made the cut. lol As it should! I think my favorite, if I can possibly choose one, is the marsh grass. A great challenge, by Ritva, that was a home run for you! You clearly… played, had fun, and enjoyed the game.

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    • Many thanks Donna – loved your comments on this one. And also loved your personal interpretation of the egret. You’re so right, abstracts can mean anything depending on the viewer – that’s one of the best things about them. As for the area rug, probably the only abstract thing in my home, it’s my office rug LOL!

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  26. After mentioning textures last week I was certain you would have a fantastic post this week, Tina and voilá: I think of all your posts, this is my favourite. The challenge is perfect for your creativity and your textures are… just so unique.

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    • Well Sofia, you surely made my day with this one! I’ll admit I did enjoy putting this one together although I’m rarely drawn by abstract images. I think “in camera” does a better job but post-processing definitely gives us more ability to “tweak”. Many thanks for the wonderful comment.

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  28. Such a variety of abstracts and I like the way you’ve themed your galleries! But my absolute favourites are the first two, the egret and the lily pond – simply beautiful!

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  30. Great choices, Tina, for both abstracts found in nature and ones created in post production. I love how you found patterns in nature. That’s an area which I haven’t really explored yet. It’s a great idea. I haven’t tried ICM either…it looks like I’ve got some exploring to do! Thanks for inspiring me! Have a great week, too. Sunny days ahead!

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    • Thanks Patti – I don’t often play, either in camera or in post, but when I do I find it really enjoyable. ICM is great but there are way more throw-aways than keepers!! A great week to you too.

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  31. My goodness Tina, you should have hosted this challenge, these are absolutely stunning. the header is a piece of art, Well they are all just beautiful, the beach ones, loved the, as well as all the nature ones. Come to think of ir, I loved them all. You are so good at this.

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  32. The watery panel on Kiawah speaks to me loudest, Tina, but you have some wonderful examples here. Abstract art is as simple, or as complicated as you want to make it? Have a great week!

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  34. From the Black and Brown collage, the Area Rug has to be my personal favorite. One way to use an errant shot, unless it is a planned one, LOL. On color palettes, I must admit I have a lot of black, brown, beige, and tan in my wardrobe but favor black. I do have other colors. When it comes to my equestrian outfit, it is a white blouse (banded collar), white breeches, black or navy blue hunt jacket, black dressage boots, black riding gloves.

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    • Thanks Susan – we have egrets a-plenty here on Kiawah (altho I suspect even our landscape doesn’t compare with Maui. On the other hand I don’t have to fly 10 hours to see them so there’s that LOL. Enjoy the getaway!!

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  45. The opening image is so alluring! I love the beach set. I have photographed some abstracts while on a beach. It’s always fascinating what we might get. Your color abstracts are stunning, too. I’m glad you used a lot of images from your area, Kiawah’s nature. That’s so beautiful. Finally, the special effects set is pure art.

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    • You are very kind Egidio – my husband liked the special effects also. I nearly didn’t include that one but I had fun making those images so I figured what the heck!

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