Abstract photography has as many definitions as there are abstract photographers. It's a notoriously difficult to pin down. Nor are there any set rules as to what makes “good” abstract photography, even less so than with most art. People describe “just liking” a certain photograph without even knowing why, while others might just shrug their shoulders. The sheer subjectivity of the form makes it even more difficult define.
Generally, abstract photography is the art of taking photographs with no particular subject or meaning. Probably the most common variety is to make one subject look like another: rust made to look like a sunbursts, folds in plastic like the aurora borealis. A common motif in abstract photography is to make the familiar, the everyday, seem as strange and foreign as a city on Alpha Centauri, or a town of Dr Seuss.
Indeed, it is argued by many that abstract photography is the most demanding form of photography due to the fantastic creative and imaginative processes that go into creating abstract photos.
Examples of Abstract Photos
Attention To Color & Texture
Many abstract photos pay especial attention to color—or the lack thereof. Presenting two otherwise unlike objects with the same or contrasting colors is a common type of abstract photographs, like the red of a dress juxtaposed next to a stop sign, or a single yellow leaf amongst dozens of fallen green ones. Repeating patterns—or a break in repetition—is another common motif in abstract photography, from fractal patterns in trees to a footstep interrupting ripples in the sand.
Focus, Exposure & More: Break The Mold
Forget the rules. Your subject—or lack thereof—does not have to be in focus. Nor does it have to be exposed so it appears perfectly unblurred. Extreme f-stops can similarly lead to fascinating effects not found in other forms of photography, revealing forms, shapes, patterns, color, at different focii that would not otherwise be obvious by our eyes. Show the world in a different light—or a different exposure, f-stop, ISO, whatever, just try to find connections where you or anyone else might not have found them before, harmonies and dissonances in the shapes and forms around you.
