All such patterns on areca tree can make a wonderful collection. Consider making a set of 20 such images showing different patterns on areca tree and share them together as a theme ! Thanks for sharing Adithya. Light looks flat here, use off shoe flash or side lighting. You may try a mirror or reflector to get side lighting too. See if this helps.

Yes, I am on the way Ganesh, already made 5-6 images .
Thank you for the link, I have already read that. A wonderful article from the master of light.
Ever since I started photography I was fascinated by the patterns of these areca trees. I have intentionally used flat light to emphasize the design. In the next images I will try side lighting also.

You may not need to show the full structure/texture but a little more definition than what is presented might add I guess.

Ganesh, I have derived inspiration from some pencil sketch abstracts by a painter. So I intentionally avoided texture. In fact I didn't think of having textures. I will try your suggestions in the next images.

Fair enough ! It is your image

Waiting to see the series, Adithya... tend to agree with Ganesh about the need for sliiiightly more structure -- there seems to be some very fine almost gill-like formations on some of the patterns... would be lovely to see more.

And a Superb, illustrative commentary here for the rest of us thanks.
A

Aditya, it is an abstract, but what is in your mind to show ? Not having a title would endup in visualization from the viewer, unless you want it that way.
I have been working on similar lines with a theme as man and woman in love. Here I have some of them. There are some 100 more in my vault, i need to process them, and find out if they are meaningful as i thought and think.
-RD

This sounds like an interesting series Adithya!

I agree with Ganesh too.. A little more definition on the patterns will add a lot to the image. If you have an image of the same pattern with side lighting too, please post it. It'll be another good example to add to what Ganesh has explained in his blog post.

@Dinesh- I was trying to visualise our emotions in various forms and shapes. Happiness, sorrow, joy, anger, grief, sexual desire, cunningness, etc are feelings which all of us have. I am trying to see those 'amoortha' emotions in 'moortha' form. I try to catch the floating shapes/emotions and try to represent pictorially.
Is the image too light to hold these heavy thoughts? Those are my thoughts and I don't want the viewer to go along with my thoughts. So I kept the image untitled.
@Radha- I don't have the images with side lighting. I will try to make images as per your suggestions. Because I had above said concepts in my mind I didn't think of textures while making the image. In fact I try to lose the textures and tried to retain only shapes and colors.

Not on this post, but on RD's comment -

Excellent theme RD, I just loved this one and you need to search for more of those for your collection I guess

Sorry Adithya, for the deviation..

Hi Adithya, abstracts work best for me when I can see them as a continuity of the visual elements through imaginations. Frankly speaking just a few sudden patterns ( unless allowing my mind to relate to something ) do not work very well for me. I went through the images you sent me by email but what you did not mention was why were you inspired, if an abstract is very much your thought and the image is not guiding visually, then I guess the onus lies with you to provide some kind of a lead to the viewer. Is this a visual abstract only ? Not continuing to some expression in your mind which prompted you to create these images ? Even if you create a set of such images, how do you think the collection will work to represent a theme ? What theme is that ? I have no problems with visual abstracts, not necessary that always there has to be a meaning or an image relating to something. Just a few elements can itself inspire, like bold and unusual colors, textures etc etc. Then again there can be abstracts which start with the visual elements in the frame and help the viewer to either start a fresh journey in his mind or help him to understand how the photographer started the journey with the elements in the image and how he decided to leave it unfinished for the rest to be interpreted in the mind. How much will the photographer show and how much will he allow to imagine varies and this balancing between the reality and the imagination works as a very good abstract theme for me. I can not tell you what is the right balance, it is very individualistic and also depends on what you are showing. I am not a big fan of visual abstracts unless the elements are very very strong and tells my mind that there is no need for probing beyond to understand the beauty of this image. Could I explain ?
You have mentioned to Ganesh that you were inspired by a painting while creating this and intentionally used flat light. Could you kindly explain this further ? Inspiration is a big word, it could be used to very politely represent copy without thinking and if this is not such an inspiration, I would really love to know firstly what attracted you in the painting to get inspired, plz tell us a little bit about the painting too, also would love to know how you relate intentionally shooting in flat light to justify such inspirations. Why do you think that side light or any other light conditions would not have justified your inspirations ? I would be very interested to understand this. I completely agree with RD when he says, what was in your mind to show and you said showing emotions in size and shapes ? I was trying to understand this ? Have I ever said or thought that look at the shape and the size of the rock, God that rock looks so emotional ....but the same rock when cut into an expressive form like a mudra of rage, mudra of love, then we can easily relate the amoortha with the moortha. The stone and bronze statues are a form of those realities, which take the mind to the amoortha, you seem to have started the journey the other way round. Why did you think of doing this ? From where exactly do you want the mind of the viewer to start the emotional journey in your image ? I would love to know these Adithya....

To me Adithya is fine as long as he doesnot care about what we think. The "title" or explaination is needed to justify when artist wants his viewers to go inline with his thinking. So, i think i would not ask him about what should i see in in his art - unless he wants me to ask that question - it is my iterpretation of his work and need not sync with him or others.
Having a title too would lead the viewer to reject ? my theme mentioned in previous comments has been rejected by many artist friends, they could not and cannot see what i see. In the end, i leave it to the creator to title it or not.

this is indeed an enjoyable creation, we have been discussing a lot dear

-RD

There were too many things running in my mind while making these images Nilanjan.
1.I have been trying to represent a state of mind pictorially from many days. Some time back I posted a series called 'reflection' in CNP. But could not translate what I am thinking into images successfully. Both in that series and this image I didn't want the viewer to think what I am trying to convey. I wanted some strong visual abstracts which trigger some thoughts in viewer's mind. As you said "Then again there can be abstracts which start with the visual elements in the frame and help the viewer to either start a fresh journey in his mind or help him to understand how the photographer started the journey with the elements in the image and how he decided to leave it unfinished for the rest to be interpreted in the mind."
If the image is failing to grow I must admit I have failed in my attempts.
2.As I told I was always fascinated by the patterns found on the areca tree and wanted to make some visual representations using those patterns.
I have been trying to represent a state of mind/ emotions pictorially. How do the emotions look like if they take any physical form? I imagined various emotions taking various shapes in the space. I see them floating in the air just like smoke taking many forms and shapes. When I saw the pencil sketch, well I have been seeing them from my childhood, ( they were done by my father) suddenly I connected three things together a. patterns on areca tree b. emotions taking physical form c. arranging them in an order so that they touch the viewers thoughts.
Why did I use flat light? I have imagined the emotions in just shapes and forms without having any structures like smoke.
But while shooting I was not very clear what to and how to shoot. May be while writing this I am trying to figure out what was I trying to do.
Having said all these it is very important for me, image should trigger some thoughts in the viewers mind need not necessarily what I am thinking, if the image fails in that I should admit image is a failure.
I have posted one of the paintings(scanned copy) in the illustration forum. This is a colored one, there were pure sketches also.

Silence does not always denote rejection RD, I do not know which image of yours are you talking about. Images and thoughts behind making those images can not end with rejections of images, caring or not caring what others think specially does not describe it the best way. Images are not like fixed price items and viewers are not like some bargaining customers that the creator says, take it if you agree or do not take it. There are certain images which forces the viewer to try and understand more about the thoughts of the creator. It is purely from an artistic and academic point of view and not a judgmental vision which gets satisfied with acceptance and rejections. In many cases if you have noticed we need to read a few explanations or books a few times before we understand what lies deeper inside. It totally depends on the individual viewer how deep a plunge he or she wishes to take into a creation. If I find it enjoyable then I would enjoy discussing this further more dear .

Hi Adithya, as I mentioned to RD's earlier post, there are some images which are not about failures, why do you think you have failed ? You know what fascinated me ? I was thinking till now that for an abstract the journey starts from a reality and takes it to an open interpretation which might be unfinished and hence can be an abstract, but as you described aan expression of amoortha to moortha, I started feeling does it always have to begin with a reality to abstract ? Why not the other way round ? or even amoortha to amoortha ? Conversion of an abstract thought to an abstract visual even may be ? Why not ? It takes time to understand an approach sometimes, that itself is a very enjoyable journey, an image being or successful or failure is not the right way to see it I guess. May be even the viewer failed, why is it that always the creator fails ? There is no unique way to understand or interpret an abstract, hence I felt I need to know your emotional connection and thoughts involved with this creation. Am not sure if I have got a very clear understanding and connection even now, but am actually enjoying this conversation. My take home lesson from this image is that an abstract not necessarily has to begin with the realities of the visual elements. Thanks for this infact. There are clearly some minds which become very defensive when the viewer wishes to know about the thoughts of the creator, but if thoughts of failures or success or rejections do not come to the mind, then art wins and trying to understand art wins. This is what I think makes CNP different from other forums. Plz do not think questions arise only when there are failures or the image is not saying it all, at times it takes a while to understand it all. Thanks again .