Weekly Abstract and Experimental Thread #54 (3-31-2026)

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, intentional camera movement, 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. Have fun!

Thanks for viewing and participating,
barondla

Strange image taken in a store. Believe this is a reflection instead of a multiple exposure. Honestly don't remember taking this at all.
Pentax K-7 with Pentax 77 limited. F1.8 1/800 ISO 1250.
Thanks for looking and participating,
barondla

Raised contrast quite a bit and then also darkened it to accentuate the reds, yellows and oranges

Excellent capture! Your processing brings out the colors well. The wings look like they are charged with electricity.
Thanks for sharing and participating,
barondla

I like both the reflection and the glowing dragon. Reflections and shadows are interesting. Problem is it's hard to hunt for them. Taking a walk in hope of finding a good reflection is doomed to fail.

This isn't that abstract and experimental only in that I try to figure a new lens out, but what I've got today. After a lovely spring week we now have this. Sucks.

Looks great. Is this your new Meyer Görlitz 135mm f2.8? It has a nice atmospheric presentation. Resembles my 180. Animals and weather have a knack for hampering new photo equipment tests🙂.
Thanks for sharing and participating,
barondla

Yes. Have you been spying on me? 😄

Actually, not so great. I had accidentally turned HHHR on, which explains I couldn't get sharp flakes and kept rising the ISO to be able to use shorter SS. And, it turns out I get a lot of chromatic aberration from the lens, whereas people with FF cameras don't. If you look close you can see almost like a rainbow in each flake.The fringing isn't hard to get rid of in most cases, but in some it is. With these rainbow things I didn't even try. I wanted to try again with lower ISO and see if that made things better, which would be a relief, but it stopped to snow. Maybe we'll get some more tomorrow.

The lens is on the long side for general use on MFT anyway. But I like it, but the fringing and what this rainbow effect should be called will be a bother.

The lens has soap ring bokeh. The edges of the oof circles are thicker than their centers. Not sure what the mini rainbows are called. This is all part of their special character. A few years ago a new Meyer resurrected these lenses. Some are around $800!

Did you shoot wide open aperture? They minimize some of the aberrations when closed down. It is a grand experiment. Give it time. Hope the weather cooperates.
Thanks for sharing,
barondla

About half a stop from wide open.

OK, but I've seen lots of images from this lens. They don't have this kind of aberration in their bubbles. Can show you an example of it's more normal fringing.Fancy red, no less (attached). A guy at DPR was nice enough to shoot streetlights with his Orestor before I bought the lens since I worried about that since an Canon FD lens I have fringed like crazy on my E-M1. Only streetlights, no other light sources. He got no fringing. I've tested the Orestor on streetlights, using OM-1 now. It fringes. So does the Canon FD, but just normal fringing with both lenses, not crazy like with E-M1.

The Exif is wrong. I forgot to change the lens data in the camera.

I've seen this before. There are even instances of new Panasonic lenses doing this on Oly bodies. Oly uses weaker UV/IR sensor filters. This gives them nice colors. They reduce the fringing by making lenses that have more correction. So this fringing can vary with camera brand and even different models of the same brand.

So you have the perfect storm. Body more susceptible to lenses that fringe, an older lens with fewer glass elements for correction, and a smaller sensor that pushes optics harder. Don't panic, there's a fix. Try searching for H2A UV or haze filter for fringing. This is not a typical UV/haze filter. It will limit the sensor response. Fringe is magically reduced. Zeiss makes a similar filter. I can find that designation when home. I use it for UV fluorescence photography.
Thanks,
barondla

Years ago when I first tried to come to terms with the street light fringing with that Canon 50/1.4 someone said that too (maybe it was you?). But will a filter that removes purple fringing cut red fringing too? So far I've seen three colors of fringing from the Orestor. Red, purple and cyan. And it will cost more than the lenses are worth to get filters for each, especially if the collection expands. Yeah, step rings, but then hoods won't fit.

If you want to see, I updated that old thread the other week when I found the FD 50mm didn't fringe as bad on OM-1. I've quoted to original post with the E-M1 shots. This fringing is especially mysterious, since it didn't occur with other light sources and contrast edges in general, only (most) streetlights. So must have something to do with wavelength
www.dpreview.com/forums/threads/em1-focus-peaking-and-legacy-lenses.4468568/page-2#post-68635813

If it doesn't rain in the afternoon I will take Mr Bokeh monster for a walk in the park. Haven't used it outdoors yet, just test shots indoors and from my windows.

This is beginning to feel OT for this thread. Sorry about that.

Not OT to me. This is the experimental thread. Must talk about the experiments we do. We deal with much more unknown than other threads.
The Zeiss is a T UV. Even though I have Tiffen UV/haze 2A, stronger 2E and Zeiss T UV I've never tried to get rid of fringing. I need to find my Oly to Pentax K adapter and try it on the Olympus E-PL1.

In the UV world the Olympus EM-1 and 2 are sought after cameras BECAUSE of their weak filter. It lets people try UV photography without paying for a conversion. My 20+ year old stock Pentax *ist DS has a very weak filter and is about 2 steps more UV/IR sensitive than newer stock Pentax models. This also happens with Nikon. Of course a full spectrum modified camera is even more sensitive.

Fringing happens because lenses don't focus the three colors at the same point. Film has different spectral sensitivity, so the lenses didn't have to worry about it as much. As you found, the wavelength of the street light also causes differences.
Thanks,
barondla

Interesting about UV photography. I still have my E-M1. But I don't think UV is my thing. I stick to UV induced florescence.

I get it. Most tests I've found say old lenses fringe more on MFT because of pixel density (OK, photosite density). But now it turns out Oly is worse than Panasonic... I need to start to note these things down. It's all new information for me and my heads gets a little overheated. Thanks for explaining!

But how do you explain the red fringing? That can't be a UV thing, can it?.

I've seen different explanations for red fringing. One is it can be caused by infrared light. Another source said it can be caused by sensor blooming due to over exposure. A different source says it is same as purple just shifted slightly. Don't know which is right.

A haze 2a will also help with UVIF. Stops the UV light from contaminating everything. Used Photo Pro in the USA has used Zeiss T star UV filters in the $35-50 range. May not help where you live, but there may be other companies near you with used filters.

Learned that the rainbows are caused by transverse chromatic aberration. The different colors march across the sensor like ants and their slightly different focus causes the rainbow look. Cool.

Mft does work a lens harder, but it isn't as bad as some sensors. My Pentax Q has a crop factor of ~5.5. I use it to test lenses for other systems. It can make almost any lens squeal😭.
Looking forward to seeing your Orester results.

Ps there is a bug in the website. It can't post the Zeiss T star symbol. When I hit edit to correct it the star shows but won't post.

Just typing star symbol on keyboard. Shows when typed but is blank in original post. Symbol shows in edit screen.
Thanks,
barondla