Samsung Abstract Photography: Subjects, Lenses and Settings

Abstract art strips away context and focuses on shapes and colours. This means that even subjects as mundane as a wall or a puddle could be all that’s needed for a striking abstract photo.

A Galaxy phone lends itself well to this sort of photography as the close-up and telephoto shooting modes make it easier to isolate a section of a more cluttered background. Here’s how to use these modes, and why you should!

Abstract settings by subject

In its own guide for using Pro mode, Samsung recommends changing the ISO setting together with the shutter speed, since the former can’t be set to Auto when the latter is changed manually. On some Galaxy A and M phones, the Pro mode shutter speed stops at 10 seconds or isn’t an option at all, and our Pro mode guide covers the rest of the screen.

Why the telephoto suits abstracts

Abstracts want frames that don’t include anything else. Narrow FOV lenses help here. GSMArena lists the S26 and S26 Ultra’s 3x telephoto as having a 67mm equivalent and the S26 Ultra’s 5x as 111mm. These are useful for isolating specific windows or balconies on buildings photographed from across a street. They keep pavement and sky out of the frame.

Distance compresses depth, making buildings appear flatter and more like patterns of lines. The ultrawide lens usually works against this because it captures context and adds distortion, though distortion can be the point, say when shooting up a stairwell.

Close-ups and texture

Samsung’s Galaxy S26 user guide advises zooming to 1x and getting within a few centimetres, waiting for the Focus enhancer icon to appear, then capturing the shot (instructions are for the S26 Ultra). GSMArena reports a 5MP macro camera on the Galaxy A57 and A37. For the Galaxy A16 to A56, Samsung’s camera page refers to a Macro mode, which can be used for close-ups.

Texture is enhanced by raking light, which is light that falls on the subject from the side, rather than flat frontal lighting. Raking light emphasises every flake and imperfection. Our macro photography guide covers focusing distances. The patterns and textures guide has more subjects to look for.

Composition for abstract frames

When there’s no immediately identifiable subject, patterns can make images. These reliable compositional structures offer the eye somewhere to rest.

• Against a field of colour, include just one element and place it away from centre.
• Where there is a repetitive pattern, introduce an odd one out. The break is the focal point.
• Introduce a strong diagonal line across your picture to give dynamism to a static scene.
• Emphasise shadows and reflections by cropping the object in question out of shot, or just include part of it.
• Leave lots of empty space around your subject so it takes up a relatively small portion of the frame.

Using complementary colours (e.g. orange and blue) may give colour abstracts an air of intentionality. The colour theory guide tells you the combinations that do and do not work together, and why. If you find colour is getting in the way, try a monochrome version of the frame so all that’s left is tone and shape.

Three abstracts from one stairwell

Try to keep to one location so you have a ‘story’ to tell, for example a stairwell with a metal handrail. Make sure you use the same white balance for all three pictures.

1. 1

   Diagonals from below

   Telephoto (3x): Find some stairs and stand one floor down. Point your phone upwards so that you’re shooting towards the edges of the stairs. Use the grid to ensure that the most prominent edge is running diagonally from corner to corner.

2. 2

   The handrail's shadow

   Wide (1x): Get close to a wall where a rail is casting a shadow. Drop the exposure until the wall is mid-grey and the shadow is black, then compose so that the rail is out of frame.

3. 3

   A movement frame

   Pro: Drop the ISO as low as you can and set the shutter speed to around 1/10s. Pan the phone upwards during the exposure to create light streaks. Chances are most of your shots will be duds, so keep the ones where the streaks are nice and clean.

The discs of out-of-focus light in the table get larger or smaller depending on how out-of-focus the light is. Our circle of confusion guide explains why phones have to be close to the subject to achieve much blur.

Editing abstracts

With abstract images there’s less pressure to keep things true to life than there is with documentary photography, so don’t be afraid to crop and post-process them more strongly. Crop boldly, as a square format may suit repeating patterns better than the proportions offered by your camera, and make full use of the additional flexibility afforded by high megapixel counts. If the photo is going on Instagram, check the shapes it accepts first, which our Instagram tips for Galaxy cover.

Work on enhancing colour and contrast, using Snapseed’s Selective tool to locally adjust the saturation, brightness or contrast of one area so you can emphasise some hues and de-emphasise others. We discuss in our black-and-white guide when the Black and White filter may be preferable, but essentially it removes all colour.

Abstract photos that don't work

• Too busy? One colour contrast or line per frame is enough. Crop to remove distracting elements.
• Blurry photos? Increase shutter speed to 1/250s or higher for sharp abstract photographs (if shooting without a tripod). Tuck your elbows in for added stability.
• Inconsistent colours? Change your camera’s white balance setting to a fixed temperature (in Kelvin), accessible in Pro mode. Set it once and shoot away!
• Trouble focusing on your subject? Move farther away from your subject to find your camera’s minimum focus distance and wait for the focus to lock in before you take the shot.