Anyone who owns a macro lens will no doubt over time start seeing the world as a series of stunning abstract images.
Everywhere we look, there is an opportunity to photograph stunning abstract images that you would hang on your wall. Generally speaking, in photography the terms, abstract refers to shooting a small part of a subject that is finely detailed in patterns or colors.
This type of image stuns the viewer. Sometimes it’s even difficult to figure out what it is you are looking at.
Take this stunning abstract images of coral shown above for example. I photographed the image with my dedicated 100mm macro lens while walking along a beach. Since posting it online I’ve had literally hundreds of requests to either purchase a fine art print or download a digital copy.
Hanging on a wall in my own home, it makes a great conversation starter amongst our guests.
What lens do you need for shooting stunning abstract images
A photographer can use a variety of lenses for shooting abstracts. My personal preference is a dedicated macro lens. However I have also shot a lot of stunners with a 100-400mm telephoto zoom lens and a general walk around 24-105mm lens.
The truth is you can shoot stunning abstracts with virtually any lens! Here are a couple of other photo examples taken with different lenses.
This photo above was taken from a helicopter with me hanging out the door with my general walk around zoom. My walk about lens is a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens. This photo shows the beautiful tidal currents and water color seen here in the Whitsundays where I live.
The trees seen on the sandbar on the lower right side helps give scope to the image.
However stunning abstract images can also be a simple subject, like photographing wet rocks.
The image above was photographed with a 100-400mm zoom lens. I was standing at an oceanside lookout shooting downward at the rocks below.
The photo below shows the patterns, textures and colors of a snow gum, photographed with a wide angle landscape lens.
Camera settings
Abstract is one of those genres where anything goes! That’s what is great about it. The photographer is the artist, free to express their work however they like. In all the photos I’ve posted so far, I decided to keep the whole image in sharp focus. My Aperture f-stop was between f/5.6-f/8.
However sometimes stunning abstract images can have a more conceptual feel. Images with lots of blur and bokeh, due to the use of a much lower f-number.
While photographing the sunrise seen above, I intentionally moved the lens in a sideward motion to create a smooth blur.
The beauty of abstract photography is that you, as the artist, can exercise your creativity. There are no boundaries or limits.
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