Abstraction and patterns
After my first few drone flights, I realized that not all my photographs were representational or recognizable.
Some of the images exceeded the ordinary. You looked at them, and at first glance, you weren’t sure what they were. Or you saw patterns and spaces more than actual objects. You were free to imagine what the subjects of the photos might be.
Patterns and composition
The abundance of patterns revealed in drone photography stimulates our brains to see things in new ways. Some of the most powerful photographs may appear abstract, inviting us to write our own stories about them.
Our minds love patterns. Repetition and subtle alterations delight the eye.
This image of an amusement park empty for winter, repeats the same pattern eight times. But each section of the tent has its own peculiarities - the angle of view, changes of shape, the placement of snow. These factors draw the eye and stimulate the imagination.
What am I really looking at? Is my delight caused by the representation of tents or is it something more mystical, the pattern they form?
Discovery from above
In autumn, from the edge of a farm field, I saw only earth, trees, and sky. But from the drone, much more was visible. Tracks in the soil suggested work performed by humans and machinery, sweat expended, active intelligence, preparation for the growing season to come.
Winter’s abstraction
Winter snow often erases the detail in a landscape, suggesting shapes rather than revealing them. When I saw the snow machine tracks on a frozen lake, I knew I should photograph them from the air.
For me, the tracks, emphasized by strong shadows, form a beautiful image. It’s true that they could be the result of passing snow machines. But wait. Forget what we know. Might they also be an abstract painting from the hands of a gifted artist?
Bubbles and flames
In springtime, I crossed the swollen river rushing through an enormous dam, and launched the drone to take a variety of photographs. The river, the dam, the rocks at the shore.
And just before I brought the drone back to land, I maneuvered it close to the outflow, shooting straight down.
The resulting photograph was awash in churning bubbles and speed. I loved its energy.
But then I showed it to my friend the artist Jerry Conway, and he took a few wonderful liberties that resulted in this powerful abstracted image. Water? Flames? Someone’s wavy hair? Or some substance until now unknown?
The moral of the blog? By all means, take aerial photographs of recognizable objects. They’ll bring you joy.
But open your mind as well to those abstract images that make you think twice, and those patterns that somehow exceed the objects they represent. More than most cameras, the drone’s unique perspective favors them. It offers the opportunity to move beyond representation into a world of imagination, possibility, and emotion.