Abstract Photography presentation for the Australian Society of Photographic Judges

I am just about to finish up a talk to the Australian Society of Photographic Judges. I have been thinking about it on and off all night. The talk is on abstract photography. I plan to explain why I prefer to call the whole genre ‘abstract’ rather than by a limited technique like ICM or a reference to a specific art period or movement such as ‘impressionist’. Who wants to be boxed. We, as artists want to be freed from limitations.

I will inevitably show them my work and I will endeavour to explain why it works for me. I fear it will be a hard and critical audience. So am doing a bit more thinking about my framing of my talk.

It’s on this afternoon for the members. At least it’s a bit cooler here in Willoughby and the studio won’t be like an oven.

Am just about to send a camera off for a full spectrum infrared conversion. So am hunting down some 62mm bw contrast filters. Well, any in that size I can experiment with. I can see I’ll soon have a huge selection. Particularly once I add in the infrared cut off ones. It is going to be my abstract colour camera. You see abstraction of colours is my saviour when it comes to colour photography. Otherwise I don’t enjoy the disconnect with my memory. Funny as with film I accepted the in built colour grading. Digital colour is a strange mix.

Clair and I are still working on our magazine. We will release a timeline and launch date soon. There will be a new newsletter, this means you will have to subscribe to it to continue hearing from me. Anyway more about all of that soon.

Jervis Bay, 8 photographs in this multiple exposure. Photograph and text copyright © Len Metcalf 2020