and the photographer’s vision.
The goal of abstract art is to communicate the intangible, that which eludes the photograph and normal seeing.
Curtis Verdun
Hmmm, but does it?
I think that photography is often underestimated and I have found it to be an incredibly complex and fluid medium.
I believe that you could line up a dozen photographers in any setting and come away with a dozen distinctly different images and that to me is one of its inherently beautiful traits.
I don’t know what you might see when you look at this image but for me it encapsulates the beauty of one river from its garnet sands to the play of light on the rippling currents.
My style of shooting begins with a focus on the larger picture and from those images I begin to focus down on the elements that to me speak the loudest.
Sure, I could have photographed the river, as a river, but for me it’s more about the feeling. I like to really pare things down until you simply cannot remove another element.
What thoughts go into your images? When do you feel like you’ve captured the image?
it's (almost always) about the water... 
What you touched upon today made me remember this recent experiment: http://petapixel.com/2015/11/04/6-photographers-asked-to-shoot-portraits-of-1-man-with-a-twist/ I do think that photography is indeed a collusion between science and art…that is to say the mechanism and technique of *taking* the picture plus the focus and interpretation and expression that come from the person who *makes* the picture. I’ve never favoured landscapes, and I think it is because they just seem so vast and documentary. I suppose I lean more towards singling out elements and trying to tease out their soul, and find a connection. And often, this implies an abstraction. Perhaps that’s where I best find the conjunction between taking and making.
Liquid art x
What I think about before I snap a picture is do I have the camera square to the picture. For instance is the horizon straight. Next I hold the camera as still as possible or use my tripod so that the picture isn’t blurry. When I look at a picture I think could I reproduce it with paint or pastels. If I think I could then the picture is O.K. but if I know that I couldn’t because of all the subtle colors and intricate features of the picture, then I know that it’s a great picture. The picture you have presented here Sheryl, I think, is a great picture. I love it.