December 16, 2008

Abstracting Simple Scenes

My friend Steve has been doing a great job showing some simple subjects in an abstracted form (check him out here).   I like this type of image.   I am generally not very good at creating abstract.  I think my left-brain (accountant/engineer type) takes over every time I pick-up my camera; and, since there is no “abstract” shooting mode on Nikons, I generally end up with photos that look like what was in front of my lens.  I really have to work hard to get my abstract mode engaged.

With that said, a few weeks ago I was at Surf Side beach near Freeport, Texas.  I was there to take a portrait of a surfer at sunrise.   Before he got there, I started playing with blurring the waves and skyline by moving the camera from left to right as I held the shutter open.  This is my favorite shot from my playtime.   I had enough fun doing this that future playtime abstract sessions are on my schedule.

Camera settings:   Nikon D3 (set to vivid color), 70-200mm f/2.8 at 200mm, shot at ISO 200, f/2.8 and 1/4 of a second on a tripod.

Post Processing:  Lightroom—set white and black point, added mid-tone contrast and increased the saturation and luminosity to red, orange, blue and cyan. 

6 comments:

  1. I can see why this is your favorite. Nice flowing lines, complementary colors and good composition. Well done.
    Anne

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  2. This is gorgeous. I love the colors and the forms they take and the horizontal lines. Just beautiful. Hard to believe you were in Texas at all.

    Cindi

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  3. I really like this too - especially the saturated, lush feel; great color combination too. Really nice. Don't you find it especially satisfying when you create in camera instead of just recording?
    Steve Schuenke

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  4. Cool. Great colors and soothing composition.
    Charles

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  5. Larry, you continue to keep me off balance. Just when I think I've seen everything, you pull a Steve Schuenke on me. This photo just knocks my socks off! It really has a nice flow to it.

    DHaass

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  6. Not like anything you have done on your blog. I am generally not a fan of abstracts, but I like this one. If it was hanging in my house, I would stop and look at it every time I passed it. Good job. I have learned a lot from your blog. Keep going.
    Debbie

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