I recently did a presentation at a camera club on “Composite Photography”. This can be an interesting topic, with many different perceptions. As I was preparing the presentation it made me think how I can present this to a group of photographers, who will have many different opinions. This is what I discovered in my research and what I spoke about in the presentation.

“What is Composite Photography?”

The word Composite means ~ made up of several parts or elements.

The word Photography means ~ is the process of recording an image – a photograph – on light sensitive film or, in the case of digital photography, via a digital electronic device.

Combine those two definitions and they form the basis of Composite Photography. But when did it start, is it a new fad in the digital age?

A brief history.

Would you believe Composite Photographs first started in the 1800’s!

Composite photography, or assembling multiple photographs into one print, solved many of the problems that dogged wet plate photography.  It was well known that landscape photographers, such as Gustave Le Gray, often combined prints of a sky with prints of sea or land because even in the late nineteenth century, it was still impossible to photograph the non-reflective land and the bright sky together without the light bleaching out the sky.

Have you heard of an Australian called Frank Hurley ?

Australian WWI photographer Frank Hurley was hired to record the events of WWI for the Australian Imperial Force (AIF).

Better known for his photographs of the Endurance expedition into Antarctica, Hurley’s photographic recordings of WWI have generally been overlooked.

Experiencing war first hand, he felt that he could not accurately represent the war without being permitted to make composite photographs.

The Tools Then and Now …

In the early days composite photos used a number of different techniques in the Darkroom, using Glass and Wet Plates, Film and Chemicals.

These days there are a number of Digital Software programs one can use to manipulate their photos – Photoshop, Lightroom, Nik and so on. They have replaced the tools of yesteryear and give a photographer or creative so many options.

What is it?

What is SOCC Photography?

SOOC photography stands for ‘straight out of camera’. Pictures that are good enough to be printed directly after taking them are SOOC. These photos are JPEGS and not Raw, as Raw photos have to be processed. JPEGS are also processed in camera and are generally not a true reflection of light and colour that the naked eye saw.

What is Photo Realism?

Depicting or seeming to depict landscapes, real people, objects, etc. with the exactness of a photograph captured.

What is Composite Photography?

Composite images are made up of two or more photographs, which are combined to create one image. You’ve absolutely seen composite images every day - in ads, on websites, in the news.

What is Photomontage?

Photomontage is the process and the result of making a photograph by cutting, gluing, rearranging and overlapping two or more photographs into a new image.

What is Photo Bashing?

This is a technique that has to do with the careful overlapping of photos and images till they align and form a perfect blend. It typically involves expertly merging multiple numbers of photos and painting them meticulously till they give off the desired photo-texture. It is ultimately achieved by effectively overpainting and manipulating the photo-textures of several images to become one illustration. This form of composite work is mainly done by using stock images to create a story.

That is not Photography?

I often hear “that is not photography” but the word Photography means ~ is the process of recording an image – a photograph – on light sensitive film or, in the case of digital photography, via a digital electronic device. The question should be do we want to:

• Portray photo realism

• Process photos a bit

• Alter Reality

• Create artwork

What would you call yourself if asked?

Let me start at the beginning of my journey. I started my photography journey as a Landscape Photographer, then I started to get into the world of processing my landscapes and learnt Photoshop. As my skills progressed, I started to replace the sky (my technical term is “wack in a sky” and it grew from there and I started to create “Altered Landscapes” where I would add a tree or clouds or a building, then I moved onto my whimsical style, using composite techniques. I still use my landscapes as the base for my creative images.

I use the camera as my median to capture photos that can be used to create Composite Photography, where I use my photos to create artwork. For me it is being creative, challenging my skills, experimenting and finding enjoyment in what I do and create.

At the end of the day it is about doing OR creating something that speaks to our “soul personally”. We can do as little or as much postprocessing as we like or want. Whatever it is we do, we do it for ourselves and enjoyment.

I love this quote as it speaks to me personally “It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera… they are made with the eye, heart, and head.” ~ Henri Cartier-Bresson