“There is no abstract art. You must always start with something. Afterward you can remove all traces of reality.”
~Pablo Picasso
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For the longest time, I’ve tried to explain to folks why I enjoy abstract photography. I’ve never been really satisfied with my explanation. I’m okay with that. The best that I can say about it is that, to one degree or another, photography wasn’t really invented with the idea of ever being used that way. The camera was invented to create accurate representations of real world objects, people, and scenes. When you make abstract work out of it, you’re kind of thumbing your nose at the tide of history, but in a playful way.
I like making pictures like this because it gives me a chance to step back from how I normally look at the world. I’ve spent more hours than I can count, just walking the streets, investigating all of the textures that you can’t appreciate when you’re filling your tank, driving to work, have other things that you’re in the middle of trying to accomplish. When I go on these ‘urban hiking’ excursions, I usually just go at an easy pace, pop my headphones in, and start looking around.
It feels like I’m a kid again, plucking up rocks and seeing that whole world of little critters hiding underneath.
LenseBender 