Abstract Holborn and a look at ICM Street Photography
A bit of a strange one? A delve into the weird and wonderful and strange world of Abstract Street Photography with this one photo called "Abstract Holborn" taken at the exit where the commuters were coming out up at the end of escalator and coming through the barriers at Holborn Tube. One of those WTF sort of photos?//?/
For the Gear Heads
This is an Abstract Photo what I would call the Marmite of the Street Photography world. You either love it or hate it, there is no in between. BUT what is Abstract in connection with Art and especially Street Photography.
Abstract Definition
1. Existing in thought or idea but not having a physical or concrete existence
2. Relating to or denoting to art that does not attempt to represent external reality, but rather seeks to achieve its effect using shapes, colours and textures
This photo is certainly in that category. Not 100% abstract as you can recognise that this photo contains people in shape form only by silhouettes, but a suggestion of people in an abstract arty sort of way..
This photo is the result of what is called ICM as in Intentional Camera Movement, where short jerky movements are introduced via a slow shutter speed to produce some bizarre effects as witnessed here in this photo. Painterly is the term used for these sort of photos as if a paint brush had been used rather than a camera.
What's going on...if anything?
Difficult to tell what is going on in the photo due to the abstract nature of it, people are in it....sort of..., but it is certainly out there. It has an energy to it, other worldly is the other word that springs to mind. It wouldn't look out of place in a major international gallery such as MOMA in New York or Tate Modern in London.
Mass market appeal is the major question mark hanging over this photo. It is a photo for the hard core arty crowd who would probably understand what the photographer is trying to say.. An Instagram sensation this photo would probably not be.......but you just never know??
It will be interesting to see what the response is here at Pavement Pulse. It's a strange one for sure.
My Rating
If a Master Photo is in the 9/10-10/10 rating and I have never given less than 5/10, this is smack bang in the middle and I rate as a 7.5/10. It's all subjective, the message in this photo is different for each viewer of the photo due to it's abstract nature.
It will never be a big hit due to it's lack of mass market appeal. Too arty, too weird, difficult to fathom and for most it's just not vanilla ice cream more like peanut and liquorice. Not too everybody's taste.
Am I going to pursue this route in Street Photography. Probably not, but the occasional flirtation to get the arty creative juices going or used as a warm up for a Street Session .......can't do any harm.
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