For a long time I have been drawn to images that have a soft-focus or even images that lack all focus. I also really love abstract art created by artist like Mondrian, Klee, Picasso and so on. The way abstract artist work with lines and forms to make an abstraction of realty is amazing. My admiration for these abstract artists has led me to try to create more abstract elements in my photographic work. But no matter how hard I try, I never seem to come to the next level with this ambition. Maybe this is because I don’t dare to leave my comfort zone to create abstract images, or maybe it’s because I lack the skills.

Soft focus

Part of my 52-weeks project is that I will take more toy photographs; I’m trying to do an image per day.  I also publish at least one image a day on my blog, Facebook and Instagram.

I know that I’ve talked about my hang up with light, working with a backlit subject and how that directs me in this project. There is one side affect with my way of working and this is that I often miss focus, sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. The camera and I have a different viewpoint of when the subject is in focus. The result of this missed focus is that I capture images that have very soft focus or totally lack all focus. This isn’t anything new.

As part of  my 52-project “reflections of Leia” I have a done folder where I can gather the images that I have with soft focus. The other day I looked in this folder and to my surprise I see a new line of images that are more abstract than those that are in the 52-project. In this soft focus folder I see pictures where my toy goes from being a “classic Lego figure” to becoming closer to just an ordinary doll. My hope is that these abstract images will invite the viewer to interpret, participate and be active in completing the image. This is part of my vision for my photography; I want the viewer to be involved in the making of the image.

A more private project

A private part of my 52 projects is a more intimate project in which I try to reach my goal of creating more abstract toy images. I believe that one of the strengths of a 52 project is that they are a way to test ideas. Sometimes these ideas work, sometimes not. I will follow this sidetrack to see where it leads. Maybe it will lead to my goal of more abstract work, maybe not…