Finished
“The Abstract Image” Photo Competition
Theme: “The Abstract Image”
Praxis Gallery seeks the submission of photographic works that explore the world through an abstracted lens; utilizing elements of color, light, shadow, texture, shape and line to express meaning outside of traditional representational and documentary styles of photography. All genres, capture types, black & white and color, traditional and non-traditional photographic and digital post-production processes are welcome for submission.
Awards:
- Thirty images will be selected by the juror for exhibition at Praxis Gallery (Exhibition Dates: July 15th – July 21st, 2023).
- A Juror’s Choice award, two Honorable Mentions and a Directors Choice award [for the most cohesive and compelling series of images submitted] will be awarded and featured in the exhibition, the printed show catalog and the online show gallery.
Juror: Ellen Jantzen
Image requirements: JPG format; 72 dpi; 1024 pixels or less on longest side; 4MB or less in file size. Selected photographers will receive instructions on uploading hi-res files to our online submission site.
Online submission of digital photographs via the website.
PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS FOR YOU:
Look for Shapes, Not for Subjects Abstract photography is about telling your story through aesthetics and elements of composition more so than through a subject. So, loosen up your mind a bit. Don’t see the world as individual things to take pictures of, but as lines, shapes, colors, textures, shadows, and highlights. Look at the sky and see bright blobs rather than clouds. Look at a building and see repetitions of geometric shapes, not windows and terraces. Look at the ground and see a swath of green to anchor your composition rather than a field of grass to include in your photo. Arrange those forms and colors so they complement each other, regardless of the particular subject hiding underneath. This is where all the tools from earlier come into play: light, color, texture, composition, and emotion. When you’re able to “see beyond the subject,” your abstract photos will grow better and better.
Look for Shapes, Not for Subjects Abstract photography is about telling your story through aesthetics and elements of composition more so than through a subject. So, loosen up your mind a bit. Don’t see the world as individual things to take pictures of, but as lines, shapes, colors, textures, shadows, and highlights. Look at the sky and see bright blobs rather than clouds. Look at a building and see repetitions of geometric shapes, not windows and terraces. Look at the ground and see a swath of green to anchor your composition rather than a field of grass to include in your photo. Arrange those forms and colors so they complement each other, regardless of the particular subject hiding underneath. This is where all the tools from earlier come into play: light, color, texture, composition, and emotion. When you’re able to “see beyond the subject,” your abstract photos will grow better and better.
