Follow Paul guide to capturing unique abstract pictures:
- Look before you take: The more research done before, the more imaginative the shot. Every leaf, branch, corner and crevice needs an approach from every angle.
- Top Crop: A bold crop can energise a lifeless image, better to do it by getting closer, but sometimes a processing crop can work wonders.
- Expose yourself: Don't be afraid of heavily under or over-exposing. As long as people can still tell immediately what it is you are photographing it doesn't matter.
- Be bold: Don't expect everyone to like your experiments, far better for your photograph to evoke strong feelings either way, than bland ones.
- Lighting up: Early or late will add a warm coast to your shot, critical for abstracts and detail shots.
- Stay sharp: If you are taking a detail shot, it must be sharp, no excuses.
- Handle the pan: For moving subjects a slow shutter speed can be very effective. If you get it right this means a sharp head and the rest blurred including the background. It screams speed and movement. It is also difficult, but the rewards far higher than just shooting at a 1/2000th all the time which is too safe. Far better to risk something bold and fail than play safe all the time. To achieve that effect here is a rough guide (all with low ISO as you are not asking much from your camera):Running Cheetah 1/80th Sec
Cruising saloon 1/40th
Greyhound 1/30th
Cycle Champ 1/25th
Usain Bolt 1/20th
Walking penguin 1/10th
These are just rough guides but it is great fun trying this out.