Sometimes a flower is more than just a collection of petals with an interesting center.  Sometimes it is a microcosm of a cloudy sky, or ripples in a running stream, or smoke wafting through the air.  As you are reading this, you have probably concluded that I have lost my mind, maybe I had too much egg nog during the holidays, or the 24 hour stream of holiday music burned out too many neurons.  But seeing something more than a flower is key to creating an abstract image. 

When I work on abstracts, I repeat to myself:  line, shape, texture, form, movement.  I’m looking for these things, and once I find them, I begin to ask “what does this remind me of”?  It’s similar to looking at clouds in the sky, and seeing animals, or people, or different things in their shapes.  Asking this second question helps focus the composition and create some sense to the chaos.

Below are a few images taken with a Canon 65mm macro.  The white flower is a dahlia, the red flower is a Gerber daisy.

Happy visualizing.