Dreamy Post of the Day

Available here on etsy!

Posted by Heather, team captain for POE!

Dreamy Photo of the Day

Available here on etsy!

Posted by Heather, captain for team POE!

Dreamy Photo of the Day!

Available here on etsy.

Posted by Heather, team captain for POE.

Mind's Eye - Natural Abstractions

Welcome to December’s Mind’s Eye post, a monthly post that focuses on abstract and manipulated photography.   For this month’s post I thought it would be nice to celebrate some abstract images of winter.   In the past few posts I have discussed composing and creating visual stories and using manipulation of the photograph as a means to convey the photographer’s imagination.  However for this post I wanted to show off some abstractions that were created naturally, with little manipulation if any at all.  These beautiful images were created through the lens.  The natural environment served as the inspiration for abstraction.  Sometimes the perfect abstract photo lies waiting to be discovered just like these fabulous POE photographs.

The high contrast and composition of both of these selections are just two examples of the skill and thoughtfulness of JK Photography’s work.  Below are “Reflection”  and “Winter Forest Diptych”.

Sometimes, simply adjusting the angle of a shot is enough to abstract an image.  These beautiful photos are “Weed in Snow No. 6” and "Weed in Snow No.7” by RRobertsPhoto.

Another POE artist who photographs nature creatively is Barbraziemerphoto.   Here are “Midnight in Our Garden Three” and the painterly “Reflective Image No.3”.

Etsy's artists never cease to impress me.  If you are ever in need of some great inspiration or a gift for that special art lover in your life think of Etsy and the Photographers of Etsy.  Merry everything to you no matter what you may be celebrating.  I look forward to the next Mind's Eye post in 2011.  Happy new year!

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"Mind's Eye"  is a monthly post by Anika Toro focusing on abstract and manipulated photography. Anika lives in TN with her baby, husband, and two naughty cats. She loves taking photos every moment of every day. 

Anika shares her photography in her shop, on her blog, and invites you to collaborate.

 If you would like to read any of the past Mind's Eye posts please click here.

 

Mind's Eye - Characters

I love a good story.  I especially love it when that story is told by a photographer, and especially when it’s shown by an abstract or manipulated photograph.  For November’s Mind’s Eye post I would like to draw your attention to some of Etsy’s finest artists – to photographers who are superb at creating stories through creating great characters.

With photography, a good character can be enough to create an entire tale.   Although the bodies of work from the following artists are created with precision and brilliant editing, these photos don’t take themselves too seriously.   As a viewer, I like that.  That’s not to say that these stories are not compelling.  They are!  The images are easy to enjoy, rich with well thought out characters and interesting compositions.  I am able to be whisked away into their imaginations upon first glance.  Any questions that the image may leave you wondering are answered with a simple title.  Upon seeing one photo from each of the following story tellers I found myself wanting to see more.  All of these photographers have created a compelling body of work with a consistent feel, unique perspective, and masterful technique.  I encourage you to visit their shops and see more of what makes them each so special.

Emporium 51

From left to right: "An Oblivious Wonderment", "Theodore W. Elwood", "The Nebulous Duo"

Matchstick Girl
"And She Grew and She Grew" and "Little Red Riding Hood"

Dongedyframe
Top left to right: "Too Easy" and "Faith or the Guardian Angel"
Bottom left to right: "Sugar Sugar" and "Crop Circle"

  Alice Lily
"I Am My Own" and "Toy Soldiers"

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"Mind's Eye", by Anika Toro, is a monthly post focusing on abstract and manipulated photography. Anika lives in TN with her baby, husband, and two naughty cats. She loves taking photos every moment of every day.

Anika shares her photography in her shop, on her blog, and invites you to collaborate.

Mind's Eye - All Hallows Eve

For this month’s post I thought it would be appropriate to show off some of the POEs finest spooky imagery.   Manipulated and abstract photography lend themselves perfectly to creating scary accidental creations, crafting nightmarish ghost stories,  and altering beautiful images into eerie wonders.  Whether it be light leaks, grainy/vintage textures, hazy lighting, or multiple exposures, this genre of photography can conjure up the spookiest and most haunting creations imaginable.  For this special Halloween edition enjoy the tricks these manipulated images whip up and allow them to treat your imagination.  Happy Halloween! 

One need not be a chamber to be haunted; One need not be a house; The brain has corridors surpassing Material place.  

~ Emily Dickinson

Both images by Deborah Noyes.  "Are you sure you want to come upstairs?" and  "Sitting Pretty"

Deep into the darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.     

~Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

 Both images by Gothicrow.  "In Dreams I Walk with You"  and "Dusk"

 Shadows of a thousand years rise again unseen 

Voices whisper in the trees, "Tonight is Halloween!" 

~Dexter Kozen

 "A wicked wind will blow the ribbons from your curls" by Dream by Day

"Moonlight meeting of the Beauty and the Beast" by Shashamane

There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls.   

~ George Carlin

 "Window Scene" by Rrobertsphoto

I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion.  

~Henry David Thoreau

"Pumpkin" by Erin Reynolds

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"Mind's Eye", by Anika Toro, is a monthly post focusing on abstract and manipulated photography.  Anika lives in TN with her baby, husband, and two naughty cats.  She loves taking photos every moment of every day.  

Anika shares her photography in her shop, on her blog, and invites you to collaborate.

Mind's Eye - Recognition

Over the past several years, I have come to realize that abstract images intrigue just as many people as they bother.  Some folks can't shake that need-to-know {what the object is} feeling.  Personally, I am on the side of being intrigued.  Instead of feeling like I need to know what the photo is of, I enjoy the what is of the image.  Ceilings become graphic designs, household items-beautiful contrasts of light and dark, rusty metal can mimic a painted landscape, a stairwell can appear to be a watchful eye, etc...  Here are a few examples to relax those need-to-know synaptic connections.  Simply put, here is some candy for your eyes.

  "Four Points" (Above) and "Woven Steel" (Below)

Both images by lizgrandmaison

 Barbara Gordon's "Guardian"

"Chandelier" by AlisonDuBois

"A City of Shrines" by mischaashton

"The Shot" by joannasphotography

"Birth of Morning" by catamountdigital

Interestingly enough, just like with the split between people who see things one way and those who see them in another, there is a similar split in the listings of these Etsy photographers.  Some of these photos come from shops in which most of the photos are abstract.  Some, however, are shots from shops in which abstract art is just a fraction of what these photographers see through the lens.  I encourage you to look at these artist's shops and see for yourself.  I think that all photographers at some point have their eye caught by the small details, the seemingly insignificant parts of items.  Sometimes it's not only until later that we see our subject as an abstract photo.  Sometimes it's not until we see our final image that we question what the subject is.  See?  Intriguing...

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"Mind's Eye", by Anika Toro, is a monthly post focusing on abstract and manipulated photography.  Anika lives in TN with her baby, husband, and two naughty cats.  She loves taking photos every moment of every day.  

Anika shares her photography in her shop, on her blog, and invites you to collaborate.

Mind's Eye: Inspiration

As a new contributor to the POE blog I will be concentrating my efforts on showing off some of the POE's best abstract and manipulated images.  I love everything about Abstract art in any form.  I know it's not for everyone and I have spent many hours talking to my father about how it isn't all "rubbish".  Besides appealing graphical details, the idea(s) behind each work is highly important to intriguing the viewer.  Manipulated photography can purposefully create an idea, a mood.  It can make us forget that it takes skill and work to not just take a photo but create a photo.  Abstract and manipulated photography can not only draw the viewer into the image, but into the imagination of its creator.

One of the philosophies I maintain is that art is everywhere I look.  A speckled ground can make me think of Jackson Pollock, aged paint flaking off a wall reminds me of Clyfford Still.  From abstract expressionists to painters of the impressionist period, masterpieces can be found ready to shoot in any location at any moment.  Well, here, allow me to show you what I mean...

Take for example this photo, "Mixed Cultures" by our very own POE member UNIkalinka.  It instantly made me think of the painter Morris Louis.  Just one more reason to check out UNIkalinka's shop!

In another example, PhotogenicGallery's "A Poppy Eye Viewpoint" incorporates soft focus of the red petals and sharp, focused detail of the dark center to create an image reminiscent of "Poppy by Georgia O'Keeffe.

I had to look twice and read the description to make sure that this next work was in fact a photograph.  The high contrast and crisp detail look so much like a line drawing.  Photopia has described her photo "Abstract Architecture" as "Escher-ish" and I couldn't agree more.

Although the beautiful color field photos of FrancesPhotography remind me of Mark Rothko, I have to admit that I love these photos even more than the masterpieces that hang in museums all over the world.  I don't just love these photos for their graphical detail and color choices, but also because I can't quite figure out how much of these photos were from her natural surroundings and straight shooting, and how much was altered digitally if at all.  These photos, such as "Journey II" featured below, pull me in and allow my mind's eye to wander and wonder much more than the very famous works of Rothko and other color field masters.

Inspiration's like these can also be seen in manipulated photos.  In the digital darkroom it's possible to re-create the mood and styles of famous work such as Andy Warhol's silk-screened images (below, right).  Claudia Lord's "Daisies 3" is done in just such a way (below, left).

In this final example, PrettyPetalStudios has manipulate her image "The Tree" in such a way as to create an antique appearance and the feel of a drawing/painting.  I wonder if she thought of this Japanese print as much as I did when she was creating it.

Photography does such a great job of holding moments still and capturing everyday beauty.  Inspiration can pop up on any street corner while waiting for a bus, on the wall of a building close to where we work, or outside our home... it's everywhere and it's just a matter of noticing and creating our own masterpieces.

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Anika Toro lives in TN with her new baby, husband, and two naughty cats.  She loves taking photos every moment of every day.  She shares her photography in her shop, on her blog, and invites you to collaborate.

From the Collaboratory

I've been going through some of my older work, trying to pinpoint what makes some images work and some ... not so much. The answers are many, with the most obvious being clarity and composition, subject matter. But even more crucial - and to seasoned photographers this will be too obvious for words - is the light.

This is one of my earlier photos.


It's not a terrible subject, and the composition, though unimaginative, isn't bad. The problem is the lack of light. Nothing in the image pops.

In contrast, look at these beautiful object lessons in the various ways light can "make" the shot.

Three Standup Pears by KetzelPhotography

Mount Rainier, Looking East by PhotoGrunt

Crosby Steps by Eyeshoot


Effervescence in Aqua by HumanInterest

Nakedeye17 (Su) thinks of photography as a wake-up call: "Hey, everybody! Are you seeing this?" She loves to capture humor, too, and anything wondrous strange. Find Nakedeye17's shop here

New Works

Some fabulous new abstract work from the Photographers of Etsy. Find much more fine art photography here.

Living Color by Artful Magpie


Rusty Red Wheelbarrow by First Light Photography


Untitled by Lemon St. Photography


Ebullient by Davita Photography

Light and Rain by Dylan Murphy


Aqua and Brown Water by Gina Photography

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Compiled by Jessica Torres. Jessica lives in tiny little Kuna, Idaho with her husband and three rambunctious kids. She tries to ignore housework while taking pictures of whatever is near - her family, the Idaho landscape, random objects collected by her and her family. She loves visitors at her website and her shop.

New Works!

Here are my favorite images for this week, I hope you like them as much as I do. I found them by searching for the POE Team tag at Etsy.

This will be my last blog post for a while, InventingLiz will be taking over the New Works feature starting next week. I know she will do a wonderful job. Thank you to everyone for all your comments each Friday.

shannonpix - angel of dreams

Kristybee - Morning Coffee


zuppaartista - memories of california

MinaLucia - Silver, Green Warm Organic Abstract

honeytree - Morning at the beach

yvetteinufio - The Power of Passion

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New Works is compiled by Pam Hardy. Pam lives in beautiful Alberta, Canada. She has always been fascinated with cameras and has been taking pictures most of her life. Her favorite things to photograph are flowers and animals, and she enjoys experimenting with new subjects and techniques. See Pam's blog here and her shop right here.