Weekly Abstract and Experimental Thread #2 (4-1-2025)

The weekly Abstract and Experimental thread
This weekly thread, starting on a Tuesday, allows us to showcase our abstract and experimental photos and get some feedback.
Opening up discussions, not only on content, style, composition & techniques, but also on the creativity of the image.

It’s easy to participate
Post an image with a title and description. To make it easier to view in the forum, all comments should include the original title and at least one of the original images as a quote.

Thread Guidelines:
This weekly thread is for sharing and developing abstract and experimental photography skills.
We want to see wild, creative photography.
Give your entry a clear title and mention the technique used.
Provide constructive feedback on others’ images.
Try to go beyond simple praise or dismissal and explain why you like it, or what caught your eye.
”Likes” are encouraged too.
Negative feedback and suggestions are also OK (be polite, honest, and constructive).
Giving feedback is just as important as receiving feedback, both help to improve our artistic and technical skills.

What is an abstract or experimental photo?
Different ways to see and investigate the world around us. Abstract photography reduces a subject to shapes, tones or colors making it unrecognizable. Abstract subjects are everywhere.

Experimentation might include, Infrared, dragged shutter, zone plate, motion, 3D, fluorescence, multiple exposure, birefringence, ultra violet, optical including adapted lenses, tri color, fractals, manipulated Polaroids, pinhole, Kirlian (bioelectrography) and many other methods. Experimentation can be for artistic expression or pure science. It is often more difficult than standard types of photography. This is fine, we aren't expecting perfection. Every experiment enhances knowledge. Your idea can help others explore the universe around them. We love experimentation. You can explain your process or keep it a secret.

This will be a looser collection of photos compared to other weekly threads. This is good. It will be a place to get away from standard animals, babies & sunset photos. We don't hate animals, babies or sunsets. Show us your creative abstract and experimental images.

This is an experiment using electronic flash with a fisheye lens. Flash usually doesn't cover such a wide lens. A Stoffen cube diffuser, on the Pentax AF360 flash, did a decent job of covering the frame. This drastically weakens the light and cuts the useful distance. Luckily, I was standing right in the middle of the tree so distance wasn't a problem. The Arsat 30mm fisheye is totally devoid of electronics and this is a manual exposure. Figure out background exposure and adjust flash power to match. Shot at F8 and handheld. I'm happy that flash and fisheye lenses can work together.

my water glass again

Continuing on from last week's pictures, here's another set of images I took of my water glass next to my bed. This time they are held still, but they are yet again fotographed using a filter, with the white balance very high. There's something fascinating how the close-up, as well as the refraction of the light, turns my fingers into downright alien shapes.

¡Hola!
A very nice image, reminiscent of those Chinese flying sky lanterns...

😮
It's amazing what a different point of view can do with the most everyday objects...

A slow panning, shot through a fence...

I have an old house whose windows are that wavy 1900 type glass. In my living room there is an antique book case that also has wavy glass doors. The light and color from colorful sunset will make its way through the window and the woven curtain then reflect off the book case. One day last fall it made this. If you look closely you can make out old books on the shelves inside the bookcase and some other stuff in the room.

First image looks like a giant alien eye watching...watching. I like sci-fi and this would make a great book cover or movie poster. Number two is totally different feel. The fingers add to the shot.
Thanks for sharing,
barondla

Thank you. That's the look I was going for.
Thanks for looking and commenting,
barondla

Wow! Other worldly. Amazing image. This reminds me of one of my favorite photographers, Ben Rose. They did a large article about him in one of big photo magazines years ago. He used flash with motorized slits and zoom lenses.
Thanks for sharing,
barondla

Terrific abstract. The "old tyme" tones are very nice. Great vision to see this.
Thanks for sharing,
barondia

They look like they're levitating of their own accord! Fascinating image (with great color too).

You have an interesting water glass! Great creativity. That second one looks like a space telescope shot at first glance.

Sadly that water glass broke yesterday when moving to my new apartment. I bought it (and a second one) in a little specialty beer shop in poland for my exchange semester and I transported it all the way back to Austria afterwards, where I used it as my water glass religiously. But sadly, it didn't survive another relocation. (The second one already broke a while ago).

But thank you for everyone's comments! I do agree that these have a sort of sci-fi feel to them. Like a little glimpse into the cosmos!

This isn't really a photo, but a while ago, I got the opportunity to try intaglio printing, while I was visiting a friend who studies at an art academy in Germany and I decided to participare with their lecture. The method we used was scratching up a thin sheet of plastic with a needle and then pushing it through a press. I made a print based on the second photo.

An intriguing combination of light, texture, and complementary colors. Nice...

Thank you very much, I'm glad you like it. I'll upload another one from the same series...

Last gasp

A sudden gust of snow landed on my skylight to remind me that winter is almost over.

I just pointed at the skylight and took a shot.

PS

Just discovered this new thread...and I am glad it exists.

Wow, love those colours. Yellow and blue are magnificent pair and the fact they are kind of uneven and have texture like surface really accentuate their attraction. Brilliant.

Excellent street capture and the panning lines across add great interest to the image.