Zooming in can turn every day scenes into unexpected abstracts. I am not talking so much about macro photography with special lenses, as well picking a detail of a larger subject to create the abstract photograph. In many ways, your imagination is your limit. There is no binding theme between the various abstract shots created this way, the usual abstract ingredients like line play and patterns will always come into play though. Let's end with a dozen examples from my portfolio (click on the images to see them in my Flickr site).
A shot I took through a Paris shop window at night - talk about challenging conditions! It is a detail of a bridal dress.
Whilst shopping in Bocholt (Germany), we encountered an old Peugeot car that was used as decoration in a mall. I zoomed in one of the headlights, creating an image that hovers between abstract and surreal depiction (it sometimes reminds me of an insect).
One of the decorations in our home is a small crystal sailing ship, mounted on a crystal support. One day, while fooling around with my camera, I found that zooming on the support resulted in beautiful colours and patterns.
Most of the time for these abstracts, zooming in means getting the camera close to the object as well. This one is an exception: this is a cut-out of a large 76 number spotted on a wall. The composition, covering the corners, helps as well.
This may be stretching it (in more ways than one), but I still consider this an abstract photograph. The hind legs of a dog near our restaurant table in Amsterdam one day. Lots of empty space, and still interesting, helped by the little hairs shed by the subject.
Flower photographs are almost absent in my portfolio, but extreme close-ups of flowers are definitely my cup of tea. The patterns inside the flower itself make this a fascinating and uncommon abstract.
My wife's recent extension of her artistic endeavors into felting have provided me with new unique opportunities. The colour patterns inherent in her felted scarves, coupled with a good choice of dof, make an instant abstract.
This one is all about curves and rectangles. The black and white conversion makes the white curve stand out even more. It is a zoomed in shot of a jumbo jet engine, displayed at Schiphol airport.
Not just an abstract, but also a study in zen-like elegant minimalism. This is part of a restaurant decoration in Amsterdam, shot under an angle to get a diagonal composition.
A recent shot, taken in a coffee house in Kampen. A bowl of sugar-filled straws, taken at sufficiently close range to make the shapes dominating, with the curve of the bowl providing a nice contrast.
Repeating patterns are almost always highly photogenic, and can often lead to interesting abstracts. This is a roof top in Shanghai, shot at an angle to get the desired effect, The black and white conversion is practically mandatory here.
A crowd favourite, and one of my own as well. Also a clear illustration about one of the general statements I have made about abstract photography: "if your abstract is a detail shot, also take a shot of the overall subject for reference. It is embarrassing to have a successful abstract photograph, and when asked for more information, failing to remember what it actually was." All I remember is that it was in the German city of Leverkussen, and that it is a zoomed-in shot. But of what? A piece of art? A piece of machinery? I will have to go back there one day.....
