Why I moved from realistic photography to abstract photography

Moving away from photography based on reality

After many years of producing realistic photographic prints, I became tired of my prints looking like everyone else’s pictures. I wanted to be unique with my camera.

At the time of my transition, everyone had been everywhere taking pictures of everything. There were rare new landscape photographs. My landscape photography had become routine. even though I was taking pictures of little known places. I wasn’t going to go to some faraway place to take a photograph of some exotic place just to be different.

So I decided I needed to create something new where I was. I began altering the lines, colors, and elements in my photographs toward something more fanciful and puzzling. When viewed, many asked if these were “real” photographs. Were they paintings?

I came to enjoy the creativity of not being limited by reality. Slowly my photographs became art and immensely more enjoyable to create. My creativity and innovation progressed. The last few years I have been using multiple exposure techniques to express a more complex experience.

Intentional vagueness

As my images became more abstract, I realized I like the vagueness and uncertainty of the prints. There is more vagueness and uncertainty in life than realistic photography conveys. I became more comfortable with this expression of reality. It felt more real to me.

Spaces between the elements and colors

At times I created images with spaces between the colors and elements. It was another way to show the spaciousness of life, where there are moments of space within the fullness of what we see. This too felt like a more realistic perception of life.

Opportunity for the viewer to become part of the art

With uncertainty, vagueness, and spaciousness comes the chance for the viewer to interject themselves into the print. Their interpretations are as important as my intentions. My prints provide moments of silent dialogue between me and the viewer. It is the real reason to create art.

Space for feeling and emotion

Spaciousness in art provides moments of feeling and emotion for the viewer. The viewer is invited into the work to make it a part of themselves. To make something a part of ourselves by invitation is a great gift. To be offered a gift from viewing art is rare. Most photographers want to dictate what is seen and interpreted. More abstract work allows less restrictions for interpretation and an open dialogue between the viewer and the work of art.

Greater creativity

It is important to learn and practice the “rules of art”, regardless what discipline is practiced. After getting those “rules” practiced and incorporated in one’s processes, then one can break them. Breaking rules is the first step in creating one’s personal vision. I wish there were a faster way to get to a personal style of expression. Unfortunately there is not.

There is the old adage that one must practice their photography for 5000 hours before becoming competent.

Creativity is a very difficult process to discuss, since it is an experience that comes from continued work. Continuing to work at one’s art is mandatory to walking a creative path.

Freedom of expression and interpretation

To be free to express ourselves and interpret life as we can is a difficult place to come to. We all learn many ways to make our relationships and social lives work. Achieving that freedom from those learned ways of behaving is very difficult for many of us. To embrace an opportunity of not following the typical rules that dictate realistic photography was a great breakthrough. To realize I didn’t have to make photographs that reflected the typical reality we see. I had moved into the realm of art.

Art at the edge of perception

One reason for art is to present another view of life and our experiences within it. Moving from realistic to abstract presentations of photography necessitates an expanded consideration of what can come from a camera. Taking “typical” pictures that come from a camera and making something interesting and unusual makes one reconsider the greater possibilities of what can come from a camera.