CM Does Something Different | Abstract Photography Challenge
Our 'Something Different' challenges continue... Inspired by our best-selling 'Wise Words' designs we have a bit of fun & try something new. So far, we've had a rather eclectic mix of art, baking & video games (not all at once).
The next chosen topic was 'photography'. We rather fancied ourselves as the next Ansel Adams or Annie Leibovitz.
It didn't matter whether it was an iPhone, DSLR, polaroid or even a trusty disposable film camera. The only stipulation was that it had to be 'abstract'. Defined in the dictionary as a painting, sculpture or, in this case, photograph that tries to represent the qualities of objects or people but does not show their outer appearance.
We racked our brains & tried to come up with our best attempt at an abstract photograph. Considering 'abstract' can be absolutely anything, it wasn't as easy as we thought. Read on to see our creations & try to guess what each one is.
"Photography is an art of observation. It has little to do with the things you see & everything to do with the way you see them."
HANNAH
Here's a rather interesting one. It took us all quite some time to actually figure it out & for that reason we'll say that Hannah nailed this particular challenge.
Any ideas?
A few of us said it must be a close-up of painted floorboards. It is, in fact, a stack of books.
JAKE
From the sounds of it, Jake's attempt was perfectly effortless but extremely effective. It turned out that a few of us initially considered the 'perspective through a beer bottle' trick. We're not entirely sure what that says about the CM Team...
Great minds think alike. Of course.
We particularly liked the warm amber glow from the sun & the texture of bubbles from the remnants of beer at the bottom of the bottle - which were surely quickly polished off after the photo was taken.
SHELL
This shot looks a lot like honeycomb. We're very thankful Shell didn't actually stick her hand in a beehive to achieve this photo.
Want to know how this was done?
This is simply a spotlight shining through a vase. We all thought this looked really cool. There's something very space-age or futuristic about it. The idea to go black & white was also a great touch to add to the obscurity of the photo.
MARK
This was done quite hastily as Mark was running very close to the deadline. This might have had something to do with the immense pressure from winning the baking challenge.
But, sometimes, the best creations involve no over-thinking. Just a good, simple idea executed well.
Have you guessed it?
This one is the side of a dustbin. Which is probably a metaphor for how he felt about this particular challenge. The peach tones you see are, in fact, Mark's disgruntled face.
DANIELLE
As our product photographer, Danielle also felt a lot of pressure with this particular challenge.
For this shot, she used the nearest things she had to hand. What you can see here is actually an iPhone pointed directly into a bigger camera lens. Creating a seemingly never-ending tunnel of interesting reflections & circles.
NATALIE
Natalie's looks rather space-age as well. The streams of light have got a 'warp-speed' feel about them & there's a great sense of perspective created by the leading lines towards the centre of the image.
Any idea what this one could be?
This was achieved by holding a cheese grater up against a window & then throwing in some interesting colour filters for good measure. Very funky!
So, there we have it, CM's attempt at abstract photography. Did you guess them all? Which one was your favourite?
Join us on our mission to try something different & send us your photos using the hashtag: #somethingdifferentcm
Whether you're a novice or pro, it's all about having fun. We'll share our favourites on our social media channels & pop a free sample card* in the post to you to say 'thank you'!
Know someone who loves to pick up a camera? We've got the perfect birthday card just for them. Get it here.
*Free sample card may not be the design shown in this post. The greeting card will be chosen at our discretion. A random design suitable for any occasion.
