The January meeting was very well attended, and seven members brought in work in response to the assignment which was to make an abstract photograph.

Rob Reardon showed some very compelling abstracts which he took on a dull winters day in a boat yard. As anyone who has ever visited a yard in winter knows, there just isn’t a more depressing place, but Rob was able to find some wonderful compositions, and prove once again that one needn’t wander far from home to make great pictures. These shots certainly met the criteria of “good” abstracts: they are fascinating images and not even experienced boatyard cranks in the group could tell what the subject matter was.

Boat yard abstract photos by Rob Reardon

Dainis showed an ultra closeup of a scallop shell many thought was a man made structure, some sort of corrigated siding, although they should have guessed it was a scallop, considering Dainis fondness for shooting sea shells.Marilyn Stevenson showed some “light paintings” that were not really abstractions of a real object, as the objects portrayed only existed as traces in her camera. If the word “photography” means drawing with light, then these were the purest of photographs.

Marilyn Stevenson ‘light painting’

Loretta Bechert showed a number of shots that used motion to create an abstraction, and in so doing, anticipated the theme that we will consider next: the matter of time itself.

Loretta’s passing taxi and LIRR train

Meryl Spiegel showed some pictures from her phantom series in which time and the ethereal nature of existence also played a major role. Even though the picture itself was not an abstract, the central figure of the scene was, lending a sense of mystery and unease to the picture.Joan Santos submitted two abstracts which were on the cusp of the “good” -”no good” spectrum, as some members could immediately identify the subject, while others could not.The title, “shades” was a big hint.Determined to prove that one needn’t travel very far to find an image, I shot some abstracts of my footstool with my iPhone, without even moving from my desk chair, whilst moving the phone as fast as I could. With totally automatic devices, it is really a challange to get a completely abstract photo.

Two abstract photos of foot stool and one non-abstract rendering with feet shown.

Thanks to everyone who presented work for this assignement.

The assignment for February is an examination of the influence of the element of
time itself in photography.
– Jonathan Morse