Experimenting with abstract style photography

Abstract photography means different things to people, but to me it conjures images of everyday scenes and objects that are turned, by the photographer, into something not immediately recognizable. So, a field of grass becomes a wonderland of huge trees...or bubbles in glass of soda are a mesmerizing blur of circles. I do have some photos which seem to fit that bill, some of them are in my shop, but others I never saw as being very "successful" photos....but perhaps they are...just not the type I normally strive for...and that's ok!

Above:  Canadian geese heading south, during Sundown

Above: reflection of winter trees in the fading sun, seen in a pond

Above: tendrils and plants by the beach

Above: crystal clear water over smooth pebbles

Above: tidal flats cause patterns in the sand during low tide on a Cape Cod beach.

Above: the clear beach water trickles down through the flats at low tide.

Above: Autumn reflections in the river.

Above: watery ripples in Newport harbor right before Sunset.

Above: another watery reflection, of a rainbow colored sail, Block Island.

Above: closeup of sea kelp, Maine.

Above: some type of flower...seen in the Marie Selby Gardens, Sarasota.

Above: leaf on curly branch.

Above: the Margaret Todd sailboat, Bar Harbor, Maine.

ABove: glowing purple summer flower, side of the road, Cape Cod.

Above: dandelion fuzz.

Above: carbonation closeup in my bottle of soda.

So, that's my roundup of some abstract photos from my archives!  I suppose I do tend to see patterns in water ripples, stones, and certain flower patterns. I also like selectively focusing my lens to capture a scene in a more dreamy, blurry sort of way. I did this with some of the scenes I came across in Acadia National Park last summer, when the weather was rainy, misty and foggy and lent to that kind of dreamy landscape. One example of that weekend is the Margarett Todd sail boat above.

I'd love to learn more about this type of photography and how others see the abstract style. It's one of my focuses this year to learn more about the different styles of photography that I tend to shy away from. :)

80's Flashback!

This weekend my "Rubiks and Slinky" photo print was featured in two different 80's themed Etsy treasuries. They are so fun and kitschy I figured I would post them here...Who knew you could purchase Gizmo on Etsy? I kinda want him! 

Below is the 80's Flashback created by missPriscillaPomeroy- click here for link!

and here is another one (featuring cute little Gizmo again!) created by Stargazer02- click here for link!

So, all morning I've been thinking about where my plastic viewfinder is and if I could maybe find an old Glow Worm online. I used to collect puffy stickers of Princess Leia and Han Solo from my cereal boxes and stick them in a shiny teal, laminated cardboard sticker book (I still have it somewhere...must find it!) I was reeeallly into the My Little Ponies, in fact I still have some of them floating around my house (in pristine condition, hair combed, little flowers and stars on their bums, etc).  

I still distinctly remember one family Thanksgiving when my cousin Thalia showed up with Posey- a new, yellow, prancing Pony with pink hair- she was brand new and I hadn't gotten to Toys R' Us with my mother yet to check it out, but now Thalia had her, and I couldn't copy her because we played ponies together and how could there be TWO Poseys?? I was pretty bummed because I really LOVED Posey Pony...

Thalia and I used to setup the Dream Castle and Pony shower by the sink and give our ponies Spa Days. I miss those times! (We also used to have our own Radio Station....WPAF Thalia and Mary...on which we used old cassette tapes to record our parents saying things and have tea parties for our stuffed animals...)

But I digress...enjoy!

Always an Artist

I love this photograph my mother took of me when I was little. I was about 5 yrs old if I had to guess....I had a little, tiny children's table with little tiny chairs around it and I used to lay all my art stuff out in front of me. Coloring books, crayons, watercolors, whatever. So here I was drawing. I look amused that my mother finds this moment worthy of capturing.

I always get caught up wondering if I'm good enough as an artist or as a photographer and I get wrapped up thinking I don't always deserve those titles. But when I look at myself as a child I remember how much I felt like an artist already. I never questioned myself back then. I was confident in my abilities. I even drew a picture of a teddy bear with holly berries around him and presents in front of him once for a holiday contest in Kindergarten, and out of all the grades up to high school, they published my teddy bear on the front of a pamphlet about the school. I was sooo proud! My parents framed it and displayed it in our home.

Now I look around my home and see others' work, many of which are different than my own and stunning in their own right. But where is my stuff? Maybe I should print photos some just for me to enjoy and frame them, instead of just looking at them online all the time. I want to throw myself into that world again where I was an artist because I had crayons and glue and imagination.  Except now it might be painting an old cabinet or learning to use one of my vintage film cameras. I vow to keep on this path of creating and imagining and being inspired by everything I see on Etsy and in Somerset Life. I'm never going to "measure up" if I'm always comparing myself...I just have to know that I'm OK to be where I am, to show what I see. And it helps to look at this little girl from time to time too.