Weekly Abstract and Experimental Thread #30 (10-14-2025)

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, macro, 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. FEEL FREE TO POST MULTIPLE TIMES TO THIS THREAD. This should be fun.

Thanks for looking and participating,
barondla

Animals were quite dark. I tried exposing for the background and used flash to fill in the subjects. This was a large Pentax shoe mount flash with an ~5x7" Fresnel Lepp Productions Project-A-Flash attachment. This adds a couple stops of light by concentrating the light beam. It wasn't enough to match the bright background but I like the catchlights it added to their eyes.
Thanks for looking and participating,
barondla

Looks quite scary with those eyes - great work! I would experiment with the colors, could look really cool with a more unrealistic (alien-like) color scheme.

Some experimental work with different lenses:

Agfa Ocellar 3.5 cm (a 16 mm projection lens):

Bottomless bokeh pit by simple.joy, on Flickr

One of my favorite Triplet lenses because of its unique possibilities, the Enna Correlar 8 cm f/2.9:

Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lights by simple.joy, on Flickr

Another projection lens, the Emil Busch Neokino 85 mm f/2, however used reversed for both shots:

Light the flowerworks by simple.joy, on Flickr

Bokeh o-key by simple.joy, on Flickr

And finally, one of the most impressive lenses I've ever shot with, the Agfa D-Lab Zoom lens from a minilab:

Fortress fire by simple.joy, on Flickr

Fine images. You really get a lot out of these adapted lenses. My favorites are the 1st and last. Surprised a 16mm projector lens fills full frame. Number one has beautiful bokeh. The Agfa shot is sharp. Not surprising since it came from a mini lab. The first lens has wonderful bokeh and rendering.

I shoot an old metal EL-Nikkor 80mm enlarging lens for UV. Playing with a 1950's Leitz 90mm Colorplan projection lens for daylight. Need to shoot more.
Thanks for sharing and participating,
barondla

An experiment with an old phone (LG G4) and some Achromatic macro lenses held by hand in front of the camera (and some crop).

Excellent images people. Keep posting.
Thanks,
barondla

Superb results with free lensing on a phone. Sharp with fine composition. Used to see auxiliary lens all the time. Guess the multi cameras on newer phones have cut into the market.
Thanks for sharing and participating,
barondla

Funny capture on my son's patio last week.

The initial idea was to remove the optical component from the "sensor plus lens" module and attach a Sony E mount to the phone body to experiment with all sorts of high-resolution lenses. But it's a bit too much work and I assessed that it wasn't worth the effort.😀

I like this. It has a creepy vibe. B&W adds drama and simplifies the image. Is this dead plants in a bowl?
Thanks for sharing and participating,
barondla

Little spiders make the webs but the birds get the spiders. The cycle continues while the webs remain...

What would this accomplish versus mounting these lenses on a Sony E mount camera?
Thanks,
barondla

That is a lot of web. I don't see many that large around here. Perhaps my birds are more efficient 🙂. Excellent capture. Webs are tough to photograph. Exposure can be critical and then there's the wind. Almost always the wind. Like how you have the webs counterbalancing the oof green trees.
Thanks for sharing and participating,
barondla