As a kid maybe you enjoyed cloud-watching: laying in the grass, gazing at puffy cumulus clouds as they drifted by, and letting your imagination run free. You might have seen a horse, or an elephant, or a puppy up there in the sky.

In many ways, abstract nature photography reminds me of that long-ago game.

Colors, shapes, patterns, and textures can be rendered in such a way that the subject of a photograph may not be obvious. Avoiding the impulse to look at the caption, one might imagine a variety of things in an abstract image. Even if you can guess what you're looking at, it's interesting to see things from a different perspective.

Photographers can utilize a variety of different methods to make abstract images. Isolate a subject with the telephoto - or take it a step further and go as tight as you can with the macro lens. Employ intentional camera movement. Change your perspective. Shoot from an unusual angle.

I enjoy shooting obviously recognizable subjects, but abstracts are just as much of a pleasure to create. (Sometimes more so.)

Just like the cloud-watching game: what do you see?