I made this above image yesterday after struggling for hours using a 50mm f1.8 lens reversed on a 105mm f2.8 Micro lens. Those who have used such reversing techniques understand very well what a nightmare it is to use such a combination in field. The main issue is the front element of the reversed 50mm lens is almost touching the subject (couple of centimeters of minimum focus distance) and extreamly shallow depth of field. The above image shows (blurred) stamens of some tiny wild flower. My first reaction was this image will find its home in my image trash since the stamens are not sharp. But the second look at it changed my views drastically. More I look at it more I like – it some how appears to my eyes as an unexplainable abstract art. May be it looks like a footprint of an animal and the color scheme seem to beautifully complement. My current feeling is sharper rendering of the stamen would have spoiled the image itself !! I hate to have a very satisfying image without consciously attempting at it (take vs make). But I must admit this is one such.

Some thoughts about abstract images – what are abstract images ? To me, an abstract image is one which evokes visual meanings or interpretations which are often unrelated to the physical world which the image itself literally represents. In art we have seen two related movements – Abstractism and Abstract Realism. In Abstractism artists use forms, colors and lines to create art work which are purely imaginary (non-representational in real world). On the other hand artists who practice Abstract Realism use forms, colors and lines found in physical world to convey something beyond or totally unrelated to the subject itself. So both form of art is suggestive (not representational) if I can call so – while one uses imaginary subjects the other uses real ones.

Can we draw a parallel to Abstractism in the world of photography since photography by definition is casting an image of some real life subject ? I do think so. The above image I think is an example of this. If I have not told you about the subject and how I made it then I think it is very difficult to relate it to a subject in the real world. On the other hand we often see abstract images of nature – most of it are examples for abstract realism. The below image of a dead tree in water is one such. Here every thing is realistic (representational) and viewer can easily relate them too but our mind (at least mine:) does not seem to be interested in spending time analyzing water and tree but mind seem to be more interested in correlating ripples, shapes, light and colors. The fact that it is an image of submerged dead tree becomes insignificant.

Isn’t it interesting how our visual systems and mind work ? Human visual process has been a mystery. Scientists have been working for hundreds of years now to understand human visual process. The results of those research are not proportional to efforts that have gone in so far. Will we ever understand how human vision/mind works ? My gut feeling says we will not because to me it appears there is an inherent recursion here – the mind which is trying to understand itself – but then it may be dismissed as ignorant casual random thought – which I am ok with!!

In a related note I do believe mathematical computing model (if one exists or can be formulated) of human brain (and of an insect for that matter) is much more powerful than Turing machine (todays computer).

Are we talking about God then ?

Ok, I may be digressing here (we are on the topic of abstraction nevertheless!), let me end this here…

(You can click on above images to see them in larger size)