I recently wrote about our trip to Algonquin Park to view the fall colours. That post included a number of images taken on the trip of the fall foliage, trees, rivers, lakes etc. as you might expect to see them. However, I also really enjoy taking more abstract pictures, and when the trees start changing from a uniform green to a tapestry of reds, oranges and yellows it provides an unparalleled opportunity to get a little more creative.

I had a couple of things in mind that I wanted to capture, and while driving through the park I was always on the lookout for the perfect combination of trees and colours. In a particular, I was looking for a stand of birch trees amongst some patches fall colours, among other things. On the road to Rock Lake, we found exactly what I was looking for. So instead of crashing the car while driving down the road and staring into the forest, we decided to just park and go for a walk.

I love these types of shots, because it allows me to break free from the constraint of having things perfectly in focus and tack sharp. I get to play with my camera settings to get all sorts of different effects by doing things like panning, spinning, zooming, multiple exposures… or any combination thereof. This is all about breaking the rules and just trying new things.

These types of shots certainly have some trial and error involved, but it’s not just a matter of taking random shots either. When I head out to shoot these types of images, I will have something in mind that I’m trying to capture and then the challenge becomes finding the right camera settings and technique to achieve what I’m looking for.

For example, by looking at some of these photos in isolation, you may not even know that these were taken in the forest. However with a slightly different technique you can get something that reveals a lot more detail, while still having a very abstract feeling. For example, the next four images are all of the same patch of trees, but have very different aesthetics due to different camera settings, framing and the process used to capture them.

I get that these types of abstract photos aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I do hope you like them! If you haven’t ever tried purposely taking an out of focus or blurry photo here are some things to try:

• Panning or spinning – To get the motion you’ll need a slower shutter speed, usually somewhere around 1/10 to 1/30 does the trick.
• Zooming the lens – Again you’ll need a slower shutter. Try zooming in or out while taking the picture to get some neat star burst type effects.
• Turn off auto focus – That’s right turn off auto focus and spin that focus ring on the lens till things look purty.
• Multiple exposures – Not all cameras have this feature, but this allows you to combine several images in camera. If your camera does not have this, you can also do it in software.

Or better yet, combine some of these techniques! Play and have fun to see what kind of results you can achieve. There’s no right or wrong subject, camera, time of day or technique so go wild!