photography – Lo Vedo Life

Life in the Abstract

More abstract photography

Last January I did a post about one of my favorite forms of photography, abstract. I guess it struck a chord with some of you, because I received a lot of mail from that post. So I thought I’d do another one to start 2024.

The world is full of fascinating things to photograph. I’ve found that when I’m fully present and really seeing what’s around me, the first thing I tend to notice is color, and sometimes color by itself can make an intriguing composition. But more often, I move from that to looking at line, form, pattern, and texture. Finally, my photography becomes an exploration of contrast and composition, which is where the rubber meets the road, the place where the real magic happens.

Driven to abstraction

Abstract photography
Something catches my eye, and I turn my camera toward it. I move closer; I look from various angles. I move even closer. I get as close as I can, and through the lens, I see a whole new world: the slightly torn edge of a wine bottle label, or the shapes that happen when paint peels from a window shutter.

Sometimes the first thing I see is the best photograph, but that’s rare. With a little more effort, I can usually tease out a photograph that’s good for telling a story in this blog.

But the very best is when that thing that caught my eye turns out to be a big ol’ rabbit hole, and I let myself fall into a world of color and light and texture and form. This is where my heart sings, where I play to my heart’s content. I turn the camera or I move an object. I look from a lower or higher angle. I lose all track of time.

Eight travel photo tips (and a bonus)

Eiffel Rorschach — A different view of the Eiffel Tower, taken from below and looking up at one corner of the gorgeous structure.

Planning a summer vacation?
Summer travel season + time with family = lots of opportunities for photography. I offer below a list of tips for upping your game to help you get even better photos from your once-in-a-lifetime vacation. This is not a list for the pros; these are tips for folks who take a camera with them when they travel, and that is everyone, because your phone has a great little camera in it that you already use a lot. There’s also a bonus tip for those who really want to go for it. The most important tip: have a fun vacation!

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Going in circles

Photo Set — Left, one of a series of abstracts made of eggs, during the last light of a wintry sunset, titled “What’s the Point”. Right, an inviting plate of “Antibes Macarons.”

Circles, in words and pictures
Do you ever feel like you’re running around in circles? Who’s in your social circle? Do you get dark circles under your eyes? Do you get stressed out when you have to circle the correct answer?

I haven’t photographed any of those things, but I do photograph circles. It all began with the photo below right, “Scribed Circle.” We were walking along a street in Paris, I spotted this little scene, and a theme was born. I’m happy to report that eight years later, the scene is still there; if I’m in that part of town, I pay a visit to my partial circle.

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Feeling abstracted

A barn door in the south of France looks like a “Watermelon Wall.”

Abstract photography
I’m an artist, and my life is all about creativity. I am visual. I see a lot. And while I photograph many different subjects, one of my favorite things to do with a camera is abstract work. With abstracts, the need to tell a story relaxes a bit, and the photograph becomes much like a blank greeting card: it provides space for the viewer to create her own story.

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