Abstract photography, like abstract art, is a quest; an exploration of the world we see, and that we cannot – where the artist’s tools create impressions and images from his mind onto his chosen medium.

For a photographer, the camera is the third eye that captures what normal sight does not. Abstract photography, thus, is open for interpretation and discussion, as myriad possibilities exist within a frame! There are opportunities for multiple experiences for different people, depending on their individual sensibilities.

Also called non-objective, experimental, conceptual or concrete photography, abstract photography depicts tangible concepts in intangible expressions – through the use of photographic equipment, techniques, processes or materials. This leads to images that leave a lot to the imagination of the viewer; inducing varied and unique experiences for each viewer, based on his/her individual sensory perceptions.  

An abstract photograph usually isolates the subject of the picture from its original context and places it in a reinterpreted form. Using the basics of spatial dynamics like form, colour, texture, light, shade and shadows, the original form is distorted to convey a feeling, sensation or impression. 

Abstract photography gets an all-new meaning, when the photographer is also an architect! The sensory perceptions of space and light, of outdoor and indoor, of massing and verticality, of colour and composition – which are essential to good photography – seem to get more sharply defined and re-invented through an architect’s lens. 

Besides an array of breathtaking black and white images, the architect also has snapped some magical colour abstractions of light through glass! Do you see what the photographer has captured? How do you interpret the images you see? 

“My photographs have always been more contextual with life – nature, and particularly birds fascinate me. Architecture, of course, is a natural choice of subject. And of late, I am experimenting more with abstract photography. The quest for the undiscovered is never ending game. I like to use textured surface in my design to get a good live canvas on the walls. Soothing hues and minimal mix of the objects offer a sweet conversation between the user/visitor of the space. Since a long time i have hunted intermittently for the abstractionism of unknown; of the forms that do not exist until I create them...” says Ar. Mayank Ghedia.

His latest foray into abstract photography is focused on the element of light! The architect believes that "Jyoti" is an eternal element. “I see the light as a window to enjoy the darkness and discover a whole new world of non-existent forms and shades. This is a small journey of discovering the world beyond, of the unborn.”

In this journey, he experimented with numerous set-ups using glass objects, torch, sunlight, canvas and other elements/materials. He describes the process as an ‘experience’, an inconclusive and elusive journey that got him asking more questions than what he started with! “What is light? Is it an element of architecture? Is it a medium of an art? Is it a tool for the photographer’s mind? Or is it a divine substance for all humans? As an architect I love the play of light, as an artist I love the shades of light, as a photographer I love to explore the balance of light, as a human I love to worship the light as source of energy and power...!”

In an exhibition sponsored by Gujarat State Lalit Kala Academy, Ghedia's photographs would be on display at the Ravishankar Raval Kala Bhavan, Near Law Garden, Ellisbridge, Ahmedabad from the 16th to the 18th of October 2015. About the upcoming exhibition in Ahmedabad Ghedia says: “In this experience, our mind and the light together create something – something magical, almost divine. I invite you all to see the series of photographs to have your own experience...”