What is Abstract Photography?

Abstract Photo Art of Jonathan Steele

Abstract Photography by Jonathan Steele is the photographic art that is not representational of real objects in the natural world. By taking the essence of the photo or a portion of the photo and by using color and or the form in an aesthetic arrangement or combination, the photographic abstraction becomes art.

What is the definition of Abstract Art?

Consider the abstract art definition to better understand this.

Do You Get It?

Often people will say they just do not get abstract art when it is a painting. Abstract photography on the other hand has an entirely different effect on the audience. It almost has a magnetic challenge to the mind to figure out what it is.

Or upon knowing what it is, being able to wrap the brain around the image of the photograph becomes the challenge.

Abstract Art Photography Form

Abstract photography can take several forms. The most common are...

  • The abstraction of the subject matter
  • Abstraction of a part of the photo or within the photo
  • These can also be manipulated into colorful art abstractions

The Abstraction of the Subject Matter

This involves seeing beyond the reality to see abstractions of photographic subject matter.

Abstraction of a Part of the Whole

Abstractions in photography can also include a part of the whole that in and of its self has some intrinsic artistic value. This requires stripping off other aspects of the photo.

Abstractions Within the Photo

It can include seeing things in the photograph that are not necessarily the substance of the photograph. It could be analogous to seeing images in clouds. These images are visible in the art of the photograph.

Abstract photographic art is indeed a unique form of abstract art. It can be colorful, bright or dark and mysterious. It can move people. It has power.

Next please take a look through the abstract photography gallery of Jonathan Steele. I hope it does for you what it does for me in being able to share it with you.

Enjoy the art.

One Mans Trash is a photographic tour of Whitehall, Northampton, and Catasauqua Pennsylvania. It was a photo shoot of me taking photos for a local newspaper article about me. Would you like to see the results. Included are both the before and after abstract photography.

Elements is the name of the grouping of photos along with Casual Moment.

Emeralds in the Sky Part of an arrangement from a NYC commission.


Go to the Steele Yard (Home Page)

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New 2020


“Field
Field Of Flowers
Pen. Pencil and Ink

If I sent you this post card, if you enjoyed the message, please fell free to reach out to me.


From 2018

Oslo Flowers

From 2018