![]() It is possible that Notham, like Robinson and Rejlander, has suffered the fate of composite photography in general, which was discredited by the twentieth century modernists, horrified at Victorian taste or lack thereof. In fact, compared to the English counterparts of the Canadian photographer, Henry Peach Robinson (1830-1901) and Oscar Rejlander (1813-1875), he was very successful, and yet he is often overlooked by historians. ![]() Consider keeping a diary, folder, or mood board where you can keep your reference photos and sketches as you tackle more and more ambitious composites.In the halls of the history of photography, the name of William Notman (1826-1891), does not often appear, and yet he is one of the most adept practitioners of the Victorian phenomenon known as “composite” photography or “combination” printing. Erik Johansson, a master of modern surreal photography, cites René Magritte among his inspirations. Many composite artists find inspiration in the surrealist movement, for instance, citing photographs by Man Ray or paintings by Salvador Dalí. Technical mastery will come with time, but immersing yourself in the arts and collecting inspirational images will help you brainstorm ideas to implement in the future. What makes the image appealing, and what is it about the light, color, and texture that feels realistic? From there, look at photographs you love, both single frames and composites. One place to start is with art history Dutch Golden age paintings will teach you about how natural light falls throughout a scene. The only way to train yourself to spot when something looks “off” or artificial in a composite is to consume as many images as you can. When you are editing those values on the computer, it helps to convert your photo to black and white so you can match the brightness levels across your subject, background, and foreground. You can always tweak your brightness and color in post-production, but try to get it as close as possible before you sit down to edit. Inconsistencies with the horizon line or vanishing point can ruin an otherwise great composite. Like lighting, perspective and height are additional details you’ll want to remain consistent throughout your shots. If you’re shooting outdoors, it’s a good idea to plan for when the sun will be in the right place in the sky so that everything in your final photo appears to be illuminated by the same source. If you’re in a studio setting, that’s easier to control make sure the light in all your shots comes from the same direction and is similar in quality (hardness, temperature/ white balance, and so on). Here’s another area where planning pays off: throughout all the elements you plan to composite, the lighting should remain consistent. In the last year, with the rise of NFTs, we’ve seen the boundary between digital art and creative photography blur, opening up new artistic possibilities and inspiring many to experiment with new techniques. While early composites were made with painstaking manual precision, today’s photographers have an array of post-processing tools at their disposal for creating magical yet realistic composites. ![]() For an in-depth look at the history of photo manipulation, including compositing, be sure to check out this article by the landscape photographer Ignacio Palacios.Ĭomposites have been around for generations, but they’ve changed dramatically since Photoshop was created in the late 1980s. You can choose a composite for technical reasons, like preserving details in the shadows and highlights, or you can do it for creative purposes, such as building surreal or fantastical images that would be impossible in real life. A composite image describes any picture that uses elements from several separate shots.
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