1) An Introduction about you?
I was born in Argentina. I grew up in both Argentina and Chile. I moved to the USA to attend university, and eventually moved permanently to Canada. I now am Canadian, living in the interior of British Columbia. British Columbia is a beautiful province. It’s a mountainous area, with lots of trees, lakes and rivers, waterfalls, rocks, and wildlife. For me, it’s a great place to live.
I am married. My husband and I have five children. I have a degree in Education with a concentration in Art and History. Currently I dedicate most of my time to photography.
2) What is the interest behind to make such beautiful abstracts?
It is largely the search for finding what makes a subject what it is, what the essential qualities of any subject are, to get to the essence of what makes a subject what it is. With “subject” I don’t mean just things you see, like trees or water, but also stories, emotions, moods. I like to think about how to abstract all these subjects, so that I can put them into a picture and have others see, hear, and feel them.
But it is also just personal liking. Just as some people prefer black and white over color, or prefer portraiture over landscape, I like abstract in pretty much any medium. It speaks to my way of looking at the world, to my way of thinking. I can appreciate other expressions, but abstract gets to the core of my personal preferences. That, more than anything else, is likely the reason I try to make abstract photos.
3) Can you please share few words about post processing?
At this time I shoot only digital. It gives me the ability to experiment like I never had with film. I like digital. It is different than film, and I don’t think it is worth it to try too much to “replicate” film or film processes in digital. Digital is its own medium, and a lovely way for many people to express themselves.
In both film and digital photography the final goal is for the photo to be seen either in print or on a screen. In my medium, digital photography, it simply would not be possible to make a final print (or screen version) without using Photoshop or some other photo-editing software at some stage. Making this final print/screen version is the goal, and in the digital world you can’t do that without post-processing.
I think it is important to keep post-processing in mind while shooting. For example, when I shoot bracketed, I intend to blend those images in post-processing. So when I’m shooting I already have in mind how to post-process them for a potential final image.
Many people think that you can take a poor image and post-process it into a masterpiece. But I think you have to start with a good photo and use post-processing to bring out the best in that photo. Post-processing to me is an enjoyable part of creating the final image. The trick is to figure out how little or how much post-processing to use for which photo. It is just as easy to process too much as it is too little.
Sometimes post-processing is delightfully quick. Sometimes an image comes out just right, and there isn’t much post-processing work at all on it, it is fine just the way it is. Other times it takes time to figure out what sort of post-processing will work for a particular image. Yet other times it takes a lot of post-processing to get the image just right.
Post-processing, for me, is not a set way of doing things, but the way I have to bring out the best in each image, no matter how little or how much work it is to get there.
4) What is your gear?
Cameras
- Nikon D7000
- Nikon D200
- Lumix DMC-TS4 (for walking around and for memories)
Lenses
- Sigma 150mm f/2.8 Macro
- Nikon Series E MF 75-150mm f/3.5 Zoom
- Lensbaby 2.0
- Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 APO DG Macro
- Tokina AF 12-24mm f/4 DX
- Nikon AF 50mm f/1.8
Other
- Vanguard Alta Series tripod with Manfrotto 486RC2 ball head
- Metz 36 AF-5 flash
- Kata Light Pic 60-DL shoulder bag
Processing
- Adobe Photoshop CS6 and Photomatix on a 27” iMac
- Hewlett Packard B9180 Photosmart Pro printer
- A variety of art papers, my current favorite is Ilford Gold Fibre.
5) Any advice for aspiring photographers who is interested in abstract photography?
The standard advise for any kind of photography:
- Get to know your equipment and its potential inside out
- Practice, practice, practice
- Experiment, experiment, experiment
- But most of all, always remember that the technicals are essential, but it is the artistic perception that finally makes the photo
Specific to abstract photography, I would suggest looking at as much abstract art as you can, reading about it, learning about it, not only photography but all forms of art. Just by looking and reading, an interested photographer will start to internalize this way of thinking and incorporate it into their thinking and their work.
Maybe the most important thing to remember in abstract photography, for me at least, is that just because a photo is beautiful it doesn’t mean it connects to the viewers. Usually an abstract work needs to go beyond plain visual beauty and incorporate feeling, mood, story. Fantastic visual appeal combined with clear mood/story/feeling is what makes an outstanding abstract photo.
You can find Ursula Abresch on the Web :
Copyrights:
All the pictures in this post are copyrighted to Ursula Abresch. Their reproduction, even in part, is forbidden without the explicit approval of the rightful owners.
