Abstract View (more likely a pattern, in this case, of cracks in an asphalt trail)

 I wasn't sure how to approach this challenge.  Patterns are pretty straight forward but abstracts are a whole different thing.  In the art world abstract is "a painting or sculpture (read image) that does not depict a person, place or thing in the natural world - even in an extremely distorted or exaggerated way".  What do you all think?

I was getting ready to take some picture with the P&S and laid it down on the table.
Saw this picture on the view finder and thought it was interesting.
I sorta like it in an abstract way.

Happy accident

This evening I went to Lyme Valley park as their annual winter fair and firework event was being held! It was very, very cold while we were waiting for the main event.. The firework display...  I must have inadvertently pre-set my camera to a slower shutter setting having frozen fingers and only realised this when I returned home. Some of the shots were ruined but some of them were salvageable I think!

  Did my fireworks go disastrously wrong or not?  What do you think? I just love the abstract appeal of them, a couple even look like distant galaxys..

 My fireworks went wrong or did they.jpg  This is definately my favourite out of the set....

 My fireworks went wrong or did they (1).jpg  ...this is my second...   A distant Galaxy.

 My fireworks went wrong or did they (2).jpg  ...and my third..       Another distant Galaxy.

 My fireworks went wrong or did they (3).jpg   

 My fireworks went wrong or did they (4).jpg 

 My fireworks went wrong or did they (5).jpg 

 My fireworks went wrong or did they (6).jpg  There's a spaceship here somewhere!

 My fireworks went wrong or did they (7).jpg 

These kinds of shots don't always go over well with most of you, but I figured I'd post some anyway.  I have quite a few "favorite" subjects.  I love leaves, as you all know.  But I also like rock... I like the jags and juts and I love the tones in b&w.  And it's fun trying to make these things work in a photograph.  I have more than these three... but so far, these are my best shot at it (for this trip... I got some pretty cool shots of wall facing when I went out west).  These were taken while walking the beach to the cattle point lighthouse.  
Love or hate 'em... comment and critique away!

1       2       3

Tomorrow, the last of the islands when we visit Roche Harbor (just one big tourist attraction...).

Backyard. . .

Night. . .

Flash. . .

Incense. . .

and what I had when I finished.

Smoke 1      Smoke 2

Smoke 3      Smoke 4

Smoke 5      Smoke 6

I'm sure there's a diagonal in there somewhere.

No story, just shots...

 Stone Abstract 

 Stone Abstract 

I was on a mission to get some photographs last saturday.  I wanted snow pictures, I obviously didn't have a lot of options thanks to the weather's less than successful attempt to make the below freezing temperatures worth a d@mn.  But I did go out with my camera with intentions of taking pictures.  And hopefully taking good pictures.  I got a few that I liked, I've posted those.  I thought they were sub-par and really I was showing off our pitiful "blizzard" as the weather forcasters were calling it.  But these two... I like.  I'm not gaga over them, but I like them.  I'm not sure if anybody else will.  Most of my attempts at abstract are received with more criticism than praise.  But that's ok.  I like the criticism (that means this one's open for it) and if I really reflect on them the critiques are right.  But I think these might be different... maybe.

All it takes is a little frozen water, some trees and the sun:

Snow Shadows

Thanks for looking and thanks for all those brave enough to tell me what you really think!

Just two shots of the snow...

1     2

Hope everyone had a very merry christmas!

If you don't mind, I thought I'd post a few abstracts I took a while back on my hike through Lake Guntersvile State Park.  I had intentions of posting them sooner but more enjoyable photos came along and work's been a little hectic the last few weeks.  But I thought, why not.  I love to give people a chance to tell me what they really think about my work.  So here's you chance.  Do your worst.  Make my day.

Abstracts  1      2      3

Thanks for looking and have a GREAT weekend everyone!

I was in Maryland last week, visiting a friend. We had a lot of fun, and I took about 300 pictures. Here are eight patriotic pictures I took in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

*For 'inside of a canon', I stuck my lens in the canon mouth, turned up the f-stop, and switched it to manual focus because auto didn't want to work.

 American Flag

 United

 Bronze Eagle

 Silence and Respect

 Gravestones

 Unknown

 Canon

 Inside of a canon

Not really that old, but probably about a year ago I went out with a friend to go driving around to places we hadn't been to since we were little.  I'm the only one with cameras, so I had brought along both my film and digital and we took turns switching between the two.  Given that digital is more forgiving, we didn't use that much film (or she didn't) but I did have one roll of color I never got developed, got lost and recently showed back up.  I took it with another roll I had shot with my diana and got them developed last week.  There really wasn't anything spectacular but I had three-four shots of the rocks on the ground that intrigued me.  I pulled the shots into lightroom played with contrast, saturation, curves, split-toning, vingetting and even a little b&w and this is what I got:

Abstract 1  b&w 1

Abstract 2  b&w 2

Abstract 3  b&w 3

Let me know what you think.  I love taking pictures of things out of context, like these rocks and especially leaves.  Sometimes I don't think they're as successful as I'd like them to be, but I was pleasantly surprised with this set.  Honest critiques are encouraged and asked for, so go nuts!

I'm stuck in Murfreesboro today and seeing as I have no class and no pressing assignment to be edited/printed I'm in my apartment for a while and going to share some stuff with you guys starting with some shots from my weekend in Tuscaloosa.  It's a lot prettier there than I imagined (having never been there I just figured it would be a lot like central south alabama, but it wasn't).

But today, just two Misty Water Abstracts from early in the morning.

Comments, critiques and suggestions are always welcomed.

light through a beer bottle

midnight through the tree branches

midnight abstracted