Weekly Abstract and Experimental Thread #26 (9-16-2025)

The weekly Abstract and Experimental thread
This weekly thread, starting on a Tuesday, allows us to showcase our abstract and experimental photos and get some feedback.
Opening up discussions, not only on content, style, composition & techniques, but also on the creativity of the image.

It’s easy to participate
Post an image with a title and description. To make it easier to view in the forum, all comments should include the original title and at least one of the original images as a quote.

Thread Guidelines:
This weekly thread is for sharing and developing abstract and experimental photography skills.
We want to see wild, creative photography.
Give your entry a clear title and mention the technique used.
Provide constructive feedback on others’ images.
Try to go beyond simple praise or dismissal and explain why you like it, or what caught your eye.
”Likes” are encouraged too.
Negative feedback and suggestions are also OK (be polite, honest, and constructive).
Giving feedback is just as important as receiving feedback, both help to improve our artistic and technical skills.

What is an abstract or experimental photo?
Different ways to see and investigate the world around us. Abstract photography reduces a subject to shapes, tones or colors making it unrecognizable. Abstract subjects are everywhere.

Experimentation might include, Stereo/3D, Infrared, dragged shutter, zone plate, motion, fluorescence, multiple exposure, birefringence, ultra violet, optical including adapted lenses, tri color, fractals, manipulated Polaroids, pinhole, Kirlian (bioelectrography) and many other methods. Experimentation can be for artistic expression or pure science. It is often more difficult than standard types of photography. This is fine, we aren't expecting perfection. Every experiment enhances knowledge. Your idea can help others explore the universe around them. We love experimentation. You can explain your process or keep it a secret.

This will be a looser collection of photos compared to other weekly threads. This is good. It will be a place to get away from standard animals, babies & sunset photos. We don't hate animals, babies or sunsets. Show us your creative abstract and experimental images. Are you unsure if the image fits the category? Don't worry. Just post it. This should be fun.

Thanks for looking and participating,
barondla

Splatter on an old wall. This is an UVIVF image taken with a stock Pentax 645Z camera with Pentax 645 A 120mm macro. UV light was supplied by 365nm flashlight with KWB1 equivalent filter. A special Tiffen UV Haze #2A was used on lens to block UV light and only capture fluorescence. F8 at 13" with ISO 100.
Thanks for looking,
barondla

Late afternoon Tau Emerald dragonfly with the sun at about 3 o'clock. Spot metering to mitigate over exposure on reflecting surfaces.

Spectacular capture! I've never seen a dragon fly image like this. The slow motion effect is quite amazing and beautiful. Did you have to take many images to snag this one?
Thanks for sharing and participating,
barondla

I took maybe 5 series when one was in an area with lots of reflection (first two were with normal metering and just a mess of overexposed washout). Only one series survived and out of that I kept just two images where there wasn't too much motion blur on the body and the wings had some nice patterns.
I am really glad the idea of using spot metering came to me. I guess I may have to investigate other filtering methods...

Here's the other one - I like them both for slightly different reasons

All night at the country house my spider friends have been weaving abstracts for me to discover in the mornings. What the webs do to distort colors and shapes is pretty interesting. Wish I'd brought a better lens. Maybe can do more with these at home on computer with better editing tools.

Also a remarkable photo. This one shows slightly better balance between the wings. I love both and would be proud to shoot either.
Thanks for sharing and participating,
barondla

Can see the rainbow projected from the webs. Fascinating subject and photo. Viewing from my chair keeps the webs from sticking to me :). Looking forward to more images. Hopefully you will have zero wind.
Thanks for sharing and participating,
barondla

Local rainbow

I am currently experimenting with a player specifically designed to play 3D video inside another 3D video, so that the result can be viewed with 3D/VR devices.

I will have to design and match different combinations as interesting as possible between what is seen in the background and what is playing as the main material, possibly with some more special transitions.
The idea presented at the level of a single image (frame from video) is not nearly as interesting, but I am posting an example for starters.🙂

(for cross viewing)

Spectacular rainbow. It is so well defined and stops right at the waters edge. Looks magical. Did it require lots of tries and exposure adjustment to record?
Thanks for sharing and participating,
barondla

Wow quite a concept. Your standard 3D images don't look 3D in VR goggles? This works in cross view, but not as easily as standard 3D. Bet it will be amazing in VR.
Thanks for sharing and participating,
barondla

My 3D images look 3D in VR devices if they are mounted in parallel format (or they need to be inverted if they are in cross format). I post them here in cross format so that they can be viewed in larger sizes (on larger screens, not on phones).

The idea of ​​3D video over 3D background when watching "normal" 3D movies in VR devices is related to the fact that movies are generally harder to watch in high FoV conditions and as a result they need to be reduced in size on the screens of VR devices, in which case they appear to be running on a background, generally black. I want them to run on different backgrounds, also 3D, designed according to the type of movie, not on black or another uniform color.

In the case of the example posted here, the movie playing in the small window has a lens effect on top of the movie in the background, if they are synchronized. That is, the window plays magnified details of the movie in the background.
I will give other examples.

One shot in RAW, the rest is in post-processing. This rainbow can be seen just in particular hour with sun at certain angle.

Excellent skills to nail it in one shot.
Thanks for sharing and participating,
barondla