I have always toyed with the idea of pursuing an abstract long term project but never felt my approach was genuine or organic enough. I think if someone creates abstract art then they should dedicate a serious amount of time and thought into the area and learn to push the limits of the medium. Since my recent documentary projects seem to have come to an end due to the lockdown, I used up the remainder of a roll to photograph some objects in our flat. I tried to distort the objects in some cases and play with the available light. I would really like to have taken these images on a 6×6 medium format camera, however I know I should make the most of the equipment I have to achieve a similar result. This has made me feel the images aren’t as authentic as I would like them to be but I know Arnold Newman was a huge advocate of dark room cropping. I just wish I could at least frame for square format in camera and give some intention to the composition, as well as photograph in black and white without digitally desaturating. Regardless, I am a fan of these images and have decided I should photograph as many objects in our flat as possible on my remaining rolls of film. I always think a good photographer should be someone who can be in any scenario with any camera and still create a compelling image. I have a great camera, plenty of time and tons of things to work with, so I have no excuses.
This was the only image I found hard to convert to black and white. The colours have a gradient from the centre outwards and once desaturated, the image really lost its dynamic draw and felt dull.
A J Carlton 