Is there such thing as abstract photography?

This morning i talked to martyn and told him my final idea for my images.
I told him I wanted to make purely abstract images of the sky and pitched my idea of what I intend my outcome to be like.
He responded with that there is absolutely no such thing as abstract photography because when you photograph something it still exists, no matter how you try to warp it.
He told me that you can get abstract artists as they can paint something that doesn't have to be a "thing", but my argument was once the painting has been even started it becomes a "thing".




Abstract photography can produce very dramatic images. It relies on our more primal sense of form, color, and curves than it does on detail. The problem is that most photographers tend to think in terms of detail when evaluating photographic opportunities. However, it takes a different way of looking at our world to perceive the abstract photography opportunities that surround us.

ABSTRACT PHOTOGRAPHY DEFINITION
There is no standard, universally accepted definition of abstract photography. Actually, it is not easy to create a clear-cut definition of an abstract concept. However, for the purposes of this article series, it is necessary to create a definition in order to put some boundaries around the topic. This makes it easier to determine what falls within the domain of the subject matter. Thus, for this article series, abstract photography will be defined as photography that:
Does not represent the subject in a literal way.
Communicates primarily through form, color, and curves rather than image detail.

This definition brings about a very important point. Since image detail takes a back seat to form, color, and curves, the brain's logical processes are more subdued when viewing abstract images. Instead, the reaction is much more instinctual. In essence, abstract photography communicates to the viewer primarily through the viewer's emotions. This plays to the photographer's benefit because humans' emotional systems are much more powerful than the logical systems.

Furthermore, the emphasis on form, color, and curves tends to elicit strong reactions from the human perceptual system. This is not just a psychological matter. It is actually hard wired into the human neurological and mental systems. For instance, the human visual system responds very strongly to certain colors and color contrast. In addition, certain parts of the brain are programmed to respond to curves and shapes.

This fits in perfectly with abstract photography. When done well, abstract photography can be very much in tune with the human perceptual, mental, and emotional systems. The end result can be very powerful images.

It is important to notice that the definition did not say that the subject matter had to be unrecognizable. It is true that, in some abstract images, the viewer can not tell what has been photographed. However, that is just one type of abstract image.