| Poetry of Abstraction

Join Susan Burnstine for a transformative experience exploring the intersection of photography and abstraction, engaging in practical exercises to refine your craft and discover new dimensions of expression.

Viewing the world indirectly offers photographers an opportunity to express ideas and emotions in ways that extend beyond the usual representations of a subject. Whether our inspiration takes root in majestic landscapes or microscopic organisms, the possibilities are endless when we examine the world from uncommon perspectives.

Guided by Susan Burnstine, this workshop gives participants the skills to identify key abstract elements and tools to create compositions that bear little or no resemblance to the subject at hand. As we explore how metaphor relates to non-figurative images, we effectively uncover the best approaches for realizing our personal visions, delving into techniques such as selective focus, defocus, multiple exposure, reflection, intentional camera movement, light and shadow, and context. We will discover innovative ways to reimagine the world around us through presentations, group critiques, guest artist talks, portfolio reviews, and daily assignments at scenic locations in and around the inspirational surroundings of central Maine.

Over the course of our five days together, you will gain the tools that will allow you to feel confident creating abstract images that reach beyond conventional graphic form to achieve distinctive poetic representation.

All images copyright Susan Burnstine.