It was in the 1960s that a new movement in painting, photo realism, made its debut. Artists create paintings as detailed reproductions of photographs. Alyssa Monks, working in oil, depicts a face and body in water, indistinguishable from an actual photograph. John Baeder works in both oil and watercolors and is known for his depictions of roadside eateries. Looking at the paintings I could swear they are photographs shot on Ektachrome.
For me, abstract photography is the flip side of this coin. It can take on painterly character in many forms. For the past couple of years I have been working in false color, using a full spectrum infrared camera. Infrared works on different wavelengths than our vision and with it I can create unusual imagery, from white foliage and near-black skies in monochrome or split-tone photographs, to bright orange or red foliage with an Aerochrome-emulating filter.
Monochrome infrared, Washington Monument
Split-tone infrared photography, Marco Island
A modified camera isn't necessary to create abstract photos — it can be done with a conventional camera as well.
Conventional camera, slow shutter exposure
Conventional exposure, color channel swap and drag exposure
Unlike the photo realistic paintings I've mentioned above, an abstract photograph takes an existing physical property - a person, building, landscape - into an unfamiliar realm. That is its appeal for me.