The Art of Subtraction

We are all guilty of returning home from a wonderful vacation with the familiar, iconic photos that resemble postcards, more than a personal experience. The sweeping landscapes dappled with light, the grand cathedral in the bustling square, and let us not forget the ubiquitous sunset saturated with the day's golden afterglow, they all vie for your photographic attention.

​There is nothing wrong with with any of those images, but what does that tell of my personal and emotionally charged experience?

On a recent return visit to San Miguel de Allende, located in central Mexico, I decided I was going to focus only on my abstract impressions of this charming colonial town. The reward of this exercise was that I actually, for the first time, saw this quaint town. Instead of targeting the classic compositions, I concentrated solely on color, shapes and textures. It was liberating.

At this moment in time, I am drawn to the abstractions of the world. I believe abstract images are demanding and require more attention, affording an opportunity to delve deeper into the nature of things, unmasking unique emotional reactions. Abstract photography for me is the art of subtraction, eliminating most everything literal from an image, exposing the subject's true essence.

Leaving behind the postcard images for another photographer, these are my impressions of San Miguel.

​Live in color,
Abby