Step by step Get started with abstracts

It doesn’t matter what you take photos of: just find the minimal focal distance of your lens, then lean in further. Anything with some light or colour will work.

1WHERE IT ALL BEGAN I saw the salt and pepper pots on our table. The see-through plastic pots stood out against the darker plant pot and wooden table behind. Originally I had shot into the light of the window on the right, but it just became a huge white scene, with little or no detail. Having different levels of light across the image pulled it together.

2SEEING CREATIVE PATTERNS I’ve always seen great poster-style photos of books on bookcases or records on shelving, so I tried this next. I wanted to shoot quickly without thinking too much. A little like running, once you stop, it’s hard to get going again. Keep moving and try not to worry about what the object looks like until it’s blurry.

3LOOK FOR CONTRAST Not a million miles away from the last photo, this radiator also makes use of strong vertical lines. This time it has more of a noir feel to it. The lack of colour adds to the contrast; even though it’s not a black-and-white image, it certainly looks like one. Before I used the technique of over-shooting the focal length, the radiator always stood out as a potentially good pit-stop on the tour of my house.

4MONOCHROMATIC SIMPLICITY This image of an Asian tealight holder makes good use of one simple but strong colour: gold. Many colours captured in isolation will deliver impact: perhaps you’ve got an aquamarine mug waiting to be washed up on the side, or an orange bowl to keep your keys in. Try getting up close to them and letting your camera try to focus, then take your shot.