Date Published
Thu 17 Sep 2026
Last night Daniel Bridge talked to us about ‘Abstract and Minimalism’. He had a very open and friendly style of presentation and showed us some really interesting and beautiful images.
He explained that whilst Abstract and Minimalism are not exactly the same thing there is a considerable overlap between the two genres. Abstract images are not always immediately recognisable, may be only part of a subject, may have little context, and may need describing/explaining. Minimalism reduces what’s in the picture with very few elements of the image included – 3 or 4 at most. Colour combinations can be very effective but some images lend themselves more to the use of mono.
Daniel showed us some of his amazing images and explained how he had achieved them. Architecture can be a wonderful target for this type of photography offering texture, light & shade and shape. Often parts of buildings taken at an unusual angle can produce fascinating images and Daniel certainly had a variety of those to show us. He advised using the white balance control setting it appropriately for a sunny or cloudy day. Many of his images, taken in London, were taken using the daylight setting. We saw a variety of these images showing us both old and new buildings in London in which he had featured part of a larger image and used light, shapes and the effects created by shadows.
The architecture led also to sculpture, where he had used close-ups and different angles, and to old paintwork and the crackle finish that can create shapes and patterns in close-up. In turn the paint finish on wood led us to look, at an unusually close angle, at tree trunks and even a manhole cover.
The second part of Daniel's talk dealt with the techniques he uses. He showed us the results of using a black background for simple subjects, like a single flower, intentional camera movement, long exposure and multiple exposures. He also mentioned the technique of deliberately defocusing the lens to take pictures through foliage. And a trip to Portmeirion (photographically speaking) rounded off the evening. Daniel's images were both beautiful and very skilled and made it a very enjoyable talk.