About Montage Photography
A photo montage is both the process and the final result of making a composite picture through cutting and joining a number of other pictures. Often the final montage was photographed to create a seamless print. Photo montages can be created in camera or in computer programs.
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Early Work
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Swedish-born photographer Oscar Gustave Rejlander (1813--1875) is credited with creating the first montage in 1857. "The Two Ways of Life" was created using 32 images and took 6 weeks to create. For his work with montages and other photographic processes, Rejlander is often considered to be the "Father of Art Photography," according to author E.Y. Jones in his 1973 book of the same name. British photographer Henry Peach Robinson (1830--1901) approached montages in a different fashion. He joined multiple negatives to create a final print, according to the "still photography archive at the George Eastman House."
Technique
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Prior to digital photography and computer programs, montages were created by either joining multiple pictures to create a single image or in some instances multiple exposures would be captured on the same negative. In digital photography, montages are easily created through a number of different programs, the most popular being Adobe's Photoshop.
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Photo Stitching
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One can take a number of individual photos and combine them to create either "mosaics or panoramas," says the website Cambridge in Color. In doing so, an image is created that has greater resolution and detail than what could be created if the same picture was shot using a single frame, the website states.
High Dynamic Range Photography (HDR)
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HDR photography is the most recent trend in montages. HDRs are created by using a number of images of the same scene. Each image is taken at different exposure levels to capture all the highlights of the scene. All the images are opened and "layered" on top of each other to create a single image. Additional tinting or toning can also be added to further enhance the image.
Ethics of Photomontage
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The National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) established a "Code of Ethics" designed to promote the accuracy of its images. The code also includes instructions to photographers cautioning them to "not manipulate images that can mislead viewers or misrepresent subjects."
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Church HDR image by Miles Pattison-Appleton from Fotolia.com
