Fun With Cameras XVII

Thinking in Abstract Pictures

The cemetery Terrassenfriedhof (terrace cemetery). Essen, Germany, June 17, 2022.

The fuel that keeps photographers engaged, learning, and happy is practice. There are times, however, when the inspirational flame burns low. Picking up a camera doesn’t bring the same joy one usually feels. Everything has been done before. Whether it’s photography itself that causes the low or life in general, such times, which I’m sure every photographer experiences occasionally, are best approached by seeking fresh perspectives.

This summer, I’ve decided to hunt for a few new ways of looking at the art of making pictures. I turned to a fascinating list of ideas for little photographic exercises that can help with that endeavor.

I picked a few suggestions and turned them into little assignments for myself; none of those assignments aimed at making good pictures. Whether it’s observing and photographing a scene in 24 pictures without moving or picking a subject and placing it in every corner of your viewfinder, I’ve never been bothered by the outcome.

The important element with such assignments is being active, going out, and being playful with the art of picture-making.

I’ve visited places I wouldn’t even consider photographing (anymore), made pictures I usually wouldn’t bother with, broke “rules,” and allowed myself to be playful, even silly at times.

The third assignment I’ve given myself takes that a step further.

I’ve always wanted to experiment with multiple exposures. But I never got very far with it. Maybe that’s because the implementation of the function in my cameras confused me, or it’s too abstract a concept for me. I don’t know.

A short, mid-year break in my running endeavors allowed for some bike rides. I used those activities (and a few more traditional photowalks) to explore places new and old and become more comfortable with making multiple exposures.

I’m not particularly interested in combining images in post or creating those shots I’m sure many have seen before. A face or other subject is filled with a pattern against a perfectly dark or bright background so that the final image shows the outline of your subject with a filler overlay. I wanted to go out there and see how I might combine what my eyes saw into more abstract representations of reality. You can also replace abstract with playful.

This was about fun and trying to see in new ways. I wanted to let go of any urge to be in control and see where it would lead.

Please find a selection of results below. I’ve broken the gallery up into four sections and added additional commentary via the captions. If you want to view a picture full-screen, click on it.

I hope you’ll find something of interest in this multiple exposure experiment. Later this week, I’ll send a fresh badge of reading recommendations. Until then, enjoy the pictures below.

The first location was advertised as an overlook. I had been curious about it ever since seeing it on a map. Lots of greenery around. I knew the general area from my running routes. But I was a little disappointed. Admittedly, the light was terrible. Nonetheless, there wasn’t much of a view. I started with a few trials anyway. I didn’t get much from it, but I find the picture with the ghost-like cyclist rather curious.

An overlook near the valley Kamptal. Essen, Germany, June 14, 2022.

A longer bike ride brought me to a waste tip I had planned to see for the last post. I found it but was led on a detour before I found a decent access point to climb to the top. It was late and the light was again indecent, but on the way down, I stopped again for a few more trials and played with placing the wind turbine into the landscape surrounding it.

Above A wind turbine stands on the summit of the waste tip Mottbruchhalde. Gladbeck, Germany, June 15, 2022.

Above On the way down from the summit of the waste tip Mottbruchhalde, I played with depicting the wind turbine. First, I focused on the turbine alone. Then, I tried to place it into the wider landscape. Gladbeck, Germany, June 15, 2022.

I explored a large cemetery near the overlook where I started my dabbling in multiple exposures with two additional bike rides. The early morning light for the first outing was lovely. Temperatures were a bit too chilly to explore the entire area, though. The final bits had to wait for another day. That second ride included a few stops on the way home.

Above When I arrived at the cemetery Terrassenfriedhof (terrace cemetery), the mourning hall was the first subject I worked with. The first frame might not make much sense, but I do like the split-screen that was created by layering the building in the upper and the sky on the opposite side of the cemetery in the lower part of the frame. I also wanted to play with duplicating the structure, the distance from one edge to the other, however, made framing that up difficult. I’ve also included a standard picture of the building for reference and an attempt where I layered top to bottom. Essen, Germany, June 17, 2022.

Above The early hours of the day brought me decent light and an interesting sky. Essen, Germany, June 17, 2022.

Above More multiple exposures from the Terrassenfriedhof Essen, Germany, June 20, 2022.

Above An access path to the bike expressway near the cemetery Terrassenfriedhof (terrace cemetery). I made two frames from the same position but facing in opposite directions. A bit of a wild and very abstract frame. Essen, Germany, June 20, 2022.

Above I passed through the Ruhr river wetlands on my way home from the cemetery. Here are a few looks at the city from the bike path. Mülheim a. d. Ruhr, Germany, June 20, 2022.

Finally, I collected more impressions from around town. Leisurely walks where I wanted to clear my mind and stop for some photography when I saw something that interested me.

Above On two afternoon walks, I reacted to a motorway I passed (first combining both directions of travel, then turning the camera upside down for the second exposure). Probably my favorite pictures from this experiment (1 and 3). And I came across a radio mast and spent some time on a narrow sidewalk that had guardrails to one side. Mülheim a. d. Ruhr, Germany, June 18 & 19, 2022.

Above The Gasometer was the final location I had in mind for this assignment. I had planned to photograph it from this location, a nearby street that overlooked the gas tower as well as the Emscher river/Rhine-Herne canal landscape in the foreground, for a while. I included an example of doubling the tower (1), placing it next to a small bridge crossing the river (2), included a standard exposure for reference (3), and my two favorites: using the canal’s water surface as overlay texture (5) and turning the camera upside down again for the second of the two exposures (6). I also ventured into a side street and found a decent view of the headframe of an old coal mine at the OLGA park, which I placed to the left and right of a traffic sign (4). Oberhausen, Germany, June 21, 2022.