inspiration . . . abstract photography

today i want to share some of my inspiration... two of my absolute favorite abstract photographers.



the first is the japanese photographer hiroshi sugimoto. i was lucky enough to get to see an incredible exhibit of his work at the hirshhorn my senior year of college and the images have stayed with me since.



some of his most striking and awe-inspiring images come from his seascapes series. the images seem so familiar, yet each is completely different. they are so simple, yet so very powerful. sugimoto says about this series of photographs, "every time i view the sea, i feel a calming sense of security, as if visiting my ancestral home; i embark on a voyage of seeing."

beautiful.

one of my other favorite photographers is aaron siskind.



i first discovered his work while i was taking a digital photography class and became interested in taking macro shots of surfaces and textures. the aesthetic of his abstract expressionist and later work really resonates with me.



according to the aaron siskind foundation, siskind "radicalized the medium by emphasizing the photograph as an abstract form of expression and an aesthetic end in itself." siskind was also a teacher, and in a way i feel like his work taught me a lot about how to be a better photographer.



finally, as promised, here is some of my own abstract photography...

a couple black & white images from a photography class in college:





and some of my (somewhat) more recent work from an ongoing project exploring surfaces using macro photography:


untitled, college park, 2005


untitled, paris, 2006


untitled, venice, 2007


untitled, rome, 2007


untitled, riverton, 2008

comments are always welcome... what artists have inspired your work? who are your favorite photographers? feel free to discuss and share links in the comments!

xoxo,
lesley