How to make concrete walls into exquisite works of art

Introduction: As the most common urban material, buildings with specific shapes and routes form pipes, columns, bridges and driveways. You see, they exist everywhere, which is why I love them. You can say that the parking lot is my paradise.

However, concrete is often overlooked as a more obvious or eye-catching theme. If you Google? City photography? There are thousands of beautiful photos of skyscrapers and streets, urban patterns and underground railway lines. But what you rarely see is only a photo of the concrete itself.

why do you bother? A photo of a concrete column sounds boring, right? Wrong! There are several reasons why concrete can become a photographic wonderland if you just take the time to look at it.

1. Concrete is a time capsule.

Concrete is very popular in buildings because it can build durable structures without rusting, rotting or burning. In a word, it represents the test of time. This means that concrete structures are bound to bear traces of the surrounding environment and people who interact with them consciously or unconsciously.

This is a time capsule and shooting it means recording the story of what constitutes the urban environment. From the newly paved characteristic wall to the roughly poured foundation of an underground parking lot, or the name engraved on the road and the paint scratch on the car, all tell a story.

2, abstract expressionism

If photography is like painting with light, then concrete is solid. Urban canvas. Another reason why I like photography is that it has so many similarities with abstract expressionism. Abstract art is characterized by painting, focusing on the process, media, shape and color of canvas. Through their paintings, abstract expressionists create a description that visually records an artist's actions, thoughts and processes without relying on figurative images. Like abstract art, it specifically reveals the intuitive results of spontaneity, time and physical limitations. The lack of image reference also allows the audience to explore images more deeply and lend their own meaningful work, which has established a deeper connection with the audience.

3, the beauty of simplicity

Concrete itself is like an abstract expressionist oil painting, but the act of shooting such a bold subject is actually very simple. Photography, when you delve into the basic knowledge, is about light, shadows, surfaces, colors and lines. Shooting the concrete surface does not seek to leave, but emphasizes it.

A seemingly irrelevant topic, shooting concrete not only pays attention to its beauty, but can be traced back to the simple and elegant photography, recording the accidental and intentional brushstrokes of the urban environment.

4, variety!

no two panels have the same concrete. Concrete acts as a canvas for countless bubbles, paints, scratches, graffiti, wear, watermarks, residual adhesives, etc. Concrete itself forms waves and arches. The finishing effect is also different, depending on the type of concrete and pouring technology. Any part reflects the history of a specific time and place, the vortex of hypnosis and the grinding texture.

the familiar theme is that there is no danger. Usually, when I shoot a wall or path, passers-by will stop and try to see what I am shooting. This is a photo that they have never considered, and it is worth their interest. Beauty is already there, waiting for someone to draw attention to it. Audiences often say that they never knew that concrete could be so beautiful until now!