Reflecting: Things are Always Abstract in Hindsight

January was a busy month for me, even if there is not much physical work to show for it. I spent my time reading about photographers who were also writers and writers who were also photographers, and I worked on making books like those in the last post.

In reworking and extending my project I have gone through my hard drives, looking at all my images made in Wales during 2014. It's striking to see my usual influences manifest in a different way. One of the most notable changes is my increase of imagery which is intentionally soft, as in not in sharp focus. This is the first time in my life I have seriously, intentionally photographed in this way. In fact, the images for the series A Hypothetical Story, it was necessary to make several abstract photographs for each scene including a figure. For that project the abstract photographs were merely a piece of the equation. However, I have kept them all, and looking through my personal archive I find them quite beautiful on their own.

There are plenty people who make photographic abstract imagery, and the field of painting has a long history of abstract expressionism, but for my practice this is quite new. I think perhaps I find them engaging because they are colorful, and in my practice color is a crucial formal element. But, as I know where the photographs were taken, I find it hard to separate myself from them objectively, and wonder how others perceive them.

Below I have included a finished image from A Hypothetical Story as well as two of it's untouched original pieces. There are a few other Abstract goodies as well. I would love to hear opinions. Feel free to send me your thoughts.