Vision Training: Nature Abstracts

Over the past couple of years, I’ve grown to really enjoy abstract photography, because it is a challenge in many respects.

Colour abstract of bed of flowers in Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh, using a long exposure and camera movement — By moving the camera over a bed of flowers in Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh, I was able to create this abstract picture of colour.

With a subject, you have certain rules to can grab onto. For example, place your subject according to the rule of thirds. Set the focus on your subject with a shallow depth of field to make it “pop” from the background. Or use the power of lines to guide the viewer to the subject of your photograph.

Multiple exposure of bluebell flowers in grass, taken in Blackford Hill, Edinburgh — Superimposing multiple exposures in camera of a few bluebell flowers on Blackford Hill, Edinburgh.

Without a subject, you are forced to really think about how all of the lines, shapes and colours in your composition blend together. This becomes a real challenge when using multiple exposures or long shutter speed and camera movements to create your abstract photographs. I find this to be a wonderful vision training exercise.