How would you explain the concept of abstraction/surrealism to someone who has never heard of it before?

 
It is commonplace knowledge that at least since the impact of the technical revolution of electronic media, a flood of pictures hits everyone of us a day by day. Many of these pictures show objects, situations, behaviors, scenes...which we all have seen ever so often with only little variations. Even with perfect technique these sometimes become less interesting to me. 
With (just my personal idea of) abstract photography there is at least a little chance to find some "hidden" or less or common or even new aspects, like of everyday items or of whatever you are able to imagine. Looking for these can almost create the feeling of a treasure hunt - or that of frustration.

There is no message whatsoever related to my pictures, even to those which have a more conceptual approach. If one or the other of these pictures give the watcher personal associations which are beyond the actual origin this is about as much as I ask for and certainly always a source of joy.

 
Noise, blurring and low contrasts from low quality optical sensors and lenses and long exposure times can certainly be means of artistic expression by their own - like it or not in general or specifically. In all other cases I personally prefer a certain technical quality. But in the end you probably can find as much uninspired stuff with excellent technical quality as you can find interesting stuff with low technical quality - and the other way round.

 

Robby Müller. Director of photography / cinematographer for movies such as Down by Law, Breaking the Waves, Paris (Texas). Master of reduction, composition, light. Mostly I think of him more as a still photographer than a cinematographer. 
Sure enough, paintings of German expressionists (such as August Macke, Franz Marc, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Otto Müller) and contemporary art (such as Warhol, Stella, Rothko) had a large influence on my visual education and understanding. A larger number of movies, for instance long lens esthetics - as typical for a number of road movies and also the so-called "spaghetti western" from the 70s - certainly also had a certain impact. When I think of "The Graduate", for instance, I remember the pictures (and the music of course) rather than a somehow commonplace adolescence story with a little rebellion in it.