Abstract Nature Photography

Abstract nature photography is an enduring genre, which continues to fascinate me. I don't shoot that much of it, as I tend to be quite literal in my subjects. But over the years, as I've travelled, hiked, and waited for the light, I've found lots of little abstract scenes to point my camera at. Often I don't share them with the other photos I took at the time, because they just don't fit - they stand apart. So I thought it would be nice to share a collection of abstract photos all together, and see how they combine as a collection. I'll start with a favourite of mine, taken in Greenland, in 2019...

Taken on the same trip, is this square of glacial ice berg...

This is the snow-capped Eyjafjallajökull, in Southern Iceland.

Another Icelandic glacier here. And it's very clear what this one is, but I think it's still quite an abstract image to me. It's dominated by the tones and lines, without a wider scene for context.

Similarly, it might be obvious what we're looking at here, but with no wider context, I enjoy the abstract nature of this image.

I don't think abstract images have to be indecipherable, but it's fun when they are. This one gives away no scale or definitive clue as to what it is.

It's actually as section of beach in Norway's Lofoten Islands.

 I think most people who have walked along a beach with a camera will have tried to capture these patterns in the sand at some point. This is the best I've managed so far. This was from Barafundle Bay, in Pembrokeshire.

This is from a popular black sand beach in Southern Iceland. The drainage patterns looking like a twisted tree.

Below is a slow-exposure coastal landscape on a misty day in Pembrokeshire.

I found this zebra landscape in the Icelandic Highlands.

A bit of abstract minimalism here, with another square from the Highlands of Iceland...

Below is a close-up of a large mound of ash and rock, covered in the iconic Icelandic moss. To me, this looks like a classic Icelandic jumper; the 'Lopapeysa'. Icelanders are well connected to their surrounding landscape, and the fact that nature somehow seems to reflect that culture back in this way, is one of the great charms of their society.

This photo is called 'Slice of Iceland', and it's the edge of the same mound in the photo above.

(More photos from the Icelandic Highlands here!)

This one is a considerably older rock than above. Welsh coastal cliffs, shimmering in the overcast light. I really like this one.

Here, a rock-face is reflected in the dark water below.

As we transition into living things, I photographed this slow exposure to blur the motion of the leaves, as this tree swayed in the autumn breeze.

A splash of colour...

This is another of my more recent favourites, from 2019. It's probably obvious it's an African Elephant, but I love the abstract textures and patterns in this image...

This is the last one, and it's very much open to interpretation. I think it looks like painterly clouds above a dark mountainside, and a foreground lake. But however literal or abstract the image you see, I love the subtle colour combinations.

I really enjoy abstract nature photography. There are endless mini scenes and apparently random textures in nature, which all tell a story, or leave themselves open to interpretation. It's a style I'll always come back to.

Next month I'm hoping to share some new deer photos. I've been busy photographing the deer rut over the last few weeks, and I've got a whole range of portraits and wider scenes to share. If you're not familiar with my deer photography, you can check that out here, and keep an eye out for new images coming soon :-)

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George