More Abstract New York

The flag from the side of the Times Square Recruiting Station.

Abstract New York Continues

This is a continuation of my abstract photos shot in NYC.  Here's a fire engine coming at you.

Abstract Times Square

In most cases when you take a picture, you want to hold the camera as still as possible.  To ensure that you get a sharp photo, you might even use a tripod.  But as I indicate in my 12-24-11 post (Abstract Photography - Part 1), there are times when you don't want everything to be sharp and in focus.

To keep things from being in focus, photographers will often employ one of a number of different techniques that involve moving the camera while the photo is being taken.  These techniques include kinetic photography, camera tossing and a new one I just recently heard about called intentional camera movement photography.  Regardless of the method used, they all seem to achieve essentially the same result.

The photos above were all taken in Times Square.  As a matter of fact, they were all taken from exactly the same vantage point.  The only real difference was how the motion of the camera was manipulated during each exposure.

For each of these photos, the camera shutter was held open for 1/3 of a second.  Normally when you take pictures, you won't keep the shutter open for more than 1/60 of a second.  When I shoot basketball as an example, I try never to shoot any "slower" than 1/640 of a second.  If the court is bright enough, I'd actually prefer to shoot at 1/1000 of a second.

Staten Island Ferry

As I promised (threatened?) a week ago, here are some Staten Island Ferry photos.  If you follow the link to website, you'll find a section entitled "A Few Ferry Facts".  As you read the "facts", you'll notice most of them are about accidents and crashes.  Not exactly what I would want to be putting out there for the commuting public.

I have visiting NYC for more than 25 years, but this last December was actually the first time I rode the ferry.  It was a quick trip (30 minutes) between Manhattan and Staten Island.  The highlight of the trip is being able to the Statue of Liberty.  Check out this very cool Statue of Liberty link.

The picture above is of the ferry's Manhattan terminal.

One of the ferries heading into the Manhattan terminal.

An abstract photo of one of the ferries traveling from Manhattan to Staten Island taken from a ferry traveling the other direction.

Abstract New York

Here are a couple of abstract shoots (low light, no tripod available and shooting from a moving object) of lower Manhattan from the Staten Island Ferry.  More about the Staten Island Ferry (and more related photos) in future posts.

The Last Abstract Christmas Trees (I Promise!)

Finally got to have Christmas with Emily and her boyfriend, Rick.  We celebrated at Sam's house. I only had my point and shoot  camera, and being at night, there wasn't enough light (and I really hate using a flash).  So what did I do?  Yes, I shot abstracts of the Christmas tree (see below). This is the same tree that was featured in my 12-24-11 postings.  

Abstract Christmas Trees

The interesting/challenging thing about shooting abstracts is you never know what you're going to get.  The two pictures above are prime examples.  While not significantly different, I'm hoping you can see the differences (and the differences from yesterday's Christmas tree photo which was taken in the same sequence).

I usually prefer my abstract shots to retain enough detail so you can tell what the original subject matter was.  That's why I selected the picture I did yesterday; I'm pretty sure everybody could tell it was a Christmas tree.  I think it's less obvious in these photos.

Another Christmas Tree

This is my abstract rendering of the Christmas tree at the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE"). The NYSE is the building in red in the background.  More photos of the NYSE to follow.

Abstract Photography - Part 1 (of Many)

Even before sports photography, my earliest interest in photography was probably of taking photos at night and manipulating light sources (usually neon lights and car lights back then) to produce abstract images.

I use the term "abstract" to cover a broad range of my photos though.  I use "abstract" to describe any photo where I've manipulated the camera to produce an image that would not otherwise normally exist.  In some of my abstract images, you can still see some identifiable details while in others you can't (the latter would probably be closer to the true definition of "abstract").

Many times I shoot abstract pictures to create a sense of motion.  I've had a great deal of success doing this at drum corps shows (examples to follow later).  I create most of my abstract images by manipulating a zoom lens during a long exposure (often more than second in length). Sometimes I use a tripod for these shots and sometimes not.   I'm not sure if there is a term or multiple terms to describe the technique(s) I use.

Two techniques used by other photographers (but not me) to create abstract images are kinetic photography and camera tossing.  There's even a blog about camera tossing.  (I guess there's a blog for everything!)  Also, here's an interesting article about camera tossing.  As explained in the article (along with accompanying videos), not only is camera tossing used to capture abstract images, but at least one photographer is using camera tossing to take non-abstract group photos.

The three images above were all taken of the same subject (and I think these photos would clearly be considered abstract).  Care to venture a guess as to what the subject of the photos was?  The current holiday season should offer a clue.