Capture an image that contains abstract content

Challenge 1 Andy Jenkinson

Andy was one of several readers to have answered the shout-out for a Mondayafternoon Shootout during The Photography Show in September, and was quick off the mark in the first of two very open-ended photo challenges. Capturing an image with abstract content on the NEC campus is a wide-open brief these days: recent development has endowed the site with new buildings and attractions, including the Resorts World complex of eateries, bars, shopping outlets and a casino.

Andy found a striking example of abstraction in the lobby of the north-facing entrance to the complex, in the form of the escalator leading up to the first floor. A tight crop of the scene removes the wider context, so the viewer is left with the interaction of the straight lines of the escalator and the curves of the landing it leads up to.

“I was drawn to the ceiling of neon light inside,” says Andy. “I wanted to catch that pattern so I ventured inside – luckily it was relatively quiet, so I was able to take several shots with different exposures. Attracted by the colours and the patterns, I got a shot that pleased me after several attempts.”

Expert opinion

This image is a great example of the beauty to be found in the everyday objects we use and just take for granted. The collision of shapes and the interplay of colours – just look at those pink and green flourishes – take us back to the 1980s. A great shot.

Challenge 1 Damien Walmsley

Our second shooter was also drawn to the vibrant colours of a recent addition to the NEC estate. This is an exterior view of the new Moxy destination hotel, and its architects have certainly created a structure that photographs well – especially in the bright lighting conditions that were available on the day. Such high contrast wasn’t welcome in all of the shots our participants were trying to execute, but it really makes a difference in this example.

“With its bright repeating colours, this building caught my attention,” says Damien. “New and Brutalist in design, Birmingham is home to many styles of building like this.”

Electing to get close in to the structure and photograph it upwards from one of its corners, Damien has chosen to use the cloudless blue sky as another element in the abstract nature of this scene; it contrasts well with the lurid pink of the hotel’s logo and the vertical design accents.

Indeed, as Damien notes, “It no longer looks like a hotel, but could be a set of colourful bricks.” Expert opinion

A cracking image from Damien. Just look at all the different geometric shapes he has captured in the frame, plus the way the harsh sun has divided the scene into light and dark areas. The repetition of the colour palette in the highlight areas of the image really draws the eye in, and the dissolving vapour trail in the upper right mimics the flow of the building and leads us out of the frame.