What is Photo-Montage Photography?

Photo-montage photography is multiple images are cut up and combined to create a new image. It can also be snipping an aspect from one image and adding it onto the same image in a different place. This can be done in two ways: The first way is by hand and the second is by using Adobe Photoshop. To do it by hand you just have to cut out one part of a photo and glue it, overlapping the other photo and arranging it so that it’s visually pleasing. There are many ways you could do this on Photoshop, depending on your wanted result. For example, you could simply create image layers then use the quick selection tool to cut out the image to or the lasso tool to cut out part of an image and then position the photos in their desired positions.

Mood board

Artist Reference

David Hockney, born in 1937, is an English painter, draftsman, printmaker, stage designer and photographer. Hockney is considered as one of the most influential British artists of the 20th century and was also a huge contributor to the pop art movement in the 1960s. He studied at the Bradford School of Art and later attended the Royal College of Art in London. Hockney was elected as a member of the Royal Academy of Arts in London in 1991 and, additionally, has his work displayed in the Tate Gallery in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. In 2018, David Hockney sold an art piece for $90.3 million at an auction. It wasn’t until the 1980s that David Hockney began his photography career, where he experimented with Polaroid photographs and joined them to create visually striking collages.

This is one of David Hockney’s photo joiners created with the use of Polaroid photos.

This is one of David Hockney’s photo joiners which was created using photo lab processed 35mm photographs.

Photoshoot Plan

Photoshoot

I am going to be using this same set of photos for all Headshots editing.

Edits

Edit 1

I made this photo collage using the following images:

I opened each image in photoshop and used the 3rd image along as the background. I then used the Rectangular Marquee Tool to cut out segments from each image and made them into a collage.

For some segments, I changed the colour slightly by going to Image > Adjustments > Colour Balance.

Edit 2

This is the image I used for this edit as I think it would be interesting to have the 2 different colours:

I used this grid template for the squares so that they are the same size:

I placed the image as a layer on top of the template and lowered the opacity.

I used the rectangular marquee tool to select part of the image and copy and paste them to create the little squares. I moved around the photo to get the specific sections I wanted, whilst keeping both the photo and grid a constant size.

These are my completed squares:

I then reopen the image on its own in photoshop then copy and pasted the squares onto it and arranged them how I would like.

Finally, I edited the photos and squares to make them my preferred colour. I also added a Gaussian Blur to some of these squares. Additionally, I also rearranged some of my squares. This is my final result:

Edit 3

I started off editing this photo by getting a triangle template off of safari and making it a layer on Photoshop with the image I will be using as a layer above and lowering the opacity of the layer so that the template can be seen below. I am going to use this template

I used the polygonal lasso tool to create triangles, guided by the template, which I then copy and pasted to create a new layer that I could edit separately to the entire image.

These are my triangles:

As you can see, I went a bit off the template, however, it was a good guide in the beginning.

I then added a Gaussian Blur to some triangles and colour to others or both.

Finally, I flattened the image and cropped it.

This is my final result:

Edit 4

My plan for this edit it to use the following 3 photos as different sections of the face, with the middle one being just a small section containing her eyes.

I started this off by opening each image in Adobe Photoshop and creating background copies so that I could copy and paste them onto a blank document, however, before that I cropped them as to how I would like them. I used this image as the background:

Then, I cropped the following images and aligned them so that the sides of her head match up for each layer

Finally, I edited each layer so that they are B&W and match up well together.

This is my final result after cropping it and regulating the background by selecting it and using the brush tool:

Edit 5

I used this image for the background of this montage:

I then opened another image and used the lasso tool to make swirl cut out and copy and paste it onto the other image.

This is the image I used:

I then added some colour to each layer to make the edit more interesting and this is my final outcome:

I also made this using the image that I cut the part out of and just changed the colour of it to B&W.

Evaluation

My Final Outcomes

Virtual Gallery

Evaluation

Overall, I think I have created some interesting photo montages, however, none of them are noticeably similar to Hockney’s. I think that my image which is most similar to the work of Hockney’s is this image:

This is due to the small squares which create a photo, however, the squares in mine are jumbled up.

This image is also quite similar to Hockney’s as it does consist of smaller images joined together to create a larger one, although a distorted larger image.

This is my personal favourite outcome because I like the use of different colours and the blur and I just think it all works out together very nicely.

I think this is my least successful photo as it looks a bit silly, however, it was good for experimentation and learning.

Virtual Gallery

Chiaroscuro

Rembrandt

Butterfly

Evaluation

Chiaroscuro

I think that this is my best chiaroscuro photo as, although her head is slanted, there is a straight line down the centre of her face where there is a contrast with the lighting.

Rembrandt

I think that this is my best Rembrandt photo because there is a clear triangle underneath his eye and the photo didn’t need a lot of editing.

Butterfly

I personally think that this is my best butterfly lighting photo as you can clearly see the shadow under his nose and the cheek bones.

Contact Sheets

For these photoshoots, I did multiple photoshoots focusing on trying to get each of the various lighting effects rather than doing a photoshoot for each.

Contact Sheet for Butterfly

These photos were all taken in my bedroom using a tripod for the camera and then I held a torch above towards his face so it was facing down on him to create the shadow under the nose.

Butterfly Edits

Edit 1

I edited this photo by, firstly, making it black and white and then slightly lowering the exposure. After this I increased the contrast, highlights and shadows. Finally, I used the brush tool to increase the exposure and whites and decrease the texture and clarity to make his under eyes appear less dark.

Edit 2

I edited this photo by cropping the sides then slightly rotating it so that it follows t he rule of thirds. I then lowered the exposure, highlights and blacks and increased the contrast, shadows and whites. Finally, I used the brush tool to increase the exposure of the dark speck near the top of the photograph.

Edit 3

I edited this photo by starting off by cropping and rotating it to fit rule of thirds. After this, I decreased exposure, contrast, vibrance, texture and clarity and increased highlights, shadows, whites, blacks and sharpening. Lastly, I used the brush tool to increase the exposure and lower the texture and clarity of his under eyes.

Edit 4

I cropped and rotated this photo then lowered the exposure and contrast. Additionally, I increased the highlights and shadows and texture and decreased the clarity.

Edit 5

For this photo, I started off by rotating and cropping it to fit the rule of thirds. I then lowered the exposure and increased the contrast and texture to finish off.

Contact Sheets

For these photoshoots, I did multiple photoshoots focusing on trying to get each of the various lighting effects rather than doing a photoshoot for each.

Contact Sheet for Rembrandt

Camera Setup

Rembrandt Edits

Edit 1

I didn’t think this photo needed much done to it so I just slightly cropped the top and sides, decreased the exposure then increased the clarity.

Edit 2

I didn’t edit this photo, I just cropped the sides so that there is less empty space.

Edit 3

I only edited this photo by cropping it then slightly lowering the exposure.

Edit 4

I edited this photo by making it black and white, cropping it then lowering the exposure.

Edit 5

I edited this photo by cropping it then lowering the exposure and highlights.

Edit 6

I edited this photo by cropping it, making it black and white, using the brush tool to make the trifle under the eye slightly more exposed and then decreasing the overall exposure.

Edit 7

I didn’t do anything to this photo except from cropping it on the sides and top.

Edit 8

I cropped this photo and, instead of making it black and white, lowered the vibrance and saturation.

Edit 9

I edited this photo by cropping it then decreasing the exposure, contrast, highlights and vibrance.

Contact Sheets

For the studio portraiture photoshoots, I did multiple photoshoots focusing on trying to get each of the various lighting effects rather than doing a photoshoot for each.

Contact Sheet for Chiaroscuro

Chiaroscuro Edits

Edit 1

I edited this photo by using the brush tool the decrease the exposure slightly on the left side of the face to give more off a light-dark effect. I also cropped the edges and top to make the face larger in the frame.

Edit 2

I edited this photo by cropping each side and using the brush tool to make the left of the face dark by decreasing the exposure. After this, I decreased the overall exposure and increased the texture.

Edit 3

I edited this photo by, firstly, cropping the top then making it black and white. Then, I slightly lowered the exposure and increased the texture and clarity. Finally, I used the brush tool to make the shaded side of the face a bit darker.

Edit 4

To edit this photo I started off by making it black and white then slightly decreased the exposure and setting the shadows as -100, rather than using the brush tool. After this I increased the whites and blacks to around 20 each.

Edit 5

I edited this photo by cropping each side then decreasing the exposure, highlights and shadows.

Edit 6

All I did to edit this photo was crop each side, including the top and bottom, and select the background to increase its exposure rather than the whole image.

Edit 7

I didn’t think that this image needed editing so all I did was make it monochrome then cropped the top.

Edit 8

I edited this photo by, firstly, making it black and white then lowering the overall exposure. Finally, I cropped the side so that the side of his face and the edge of his ear met each line that makes the vertical centre of the rule of thirds.

Edit 9

To edit this photo I started off by making it black and white then cropping each side. I then decreased the overall exposure and increased the highlights and shadows. I also increased texture and decreased clarity. Finally, I selected the background and lowered the exposure to make it black then continued to use the brush tool to clean up areas of the background and around the edges of his face which were not black.

Why do we use Studio Lighting?

We use studio lighting because it allows us to create a variety of effects naturally, without the need for editing. Studio lighting also presents a professional look in photos, differing from the quality without studio lighting. Studio lighting does many things to a photograph like setting the mood, creating shadows and texture, providing direction and more. Using studio lighting is much easier than any other, for example, natural lighting, you can’t move the sun around and adjust the brightness like you can with most studio lighting.

1 Point Lighting

1 point lighting is a lighting set up which uses a single light source to illuminate the subject. The light is often positioned directly in front or behind the camera and can create the illusion that the subject is 2D, however, it is also often positioned at a 45 degree angle to the subject. The light used for this set up is known as the key light.

2 Point Lighting

2 point lighting consists of 2 different types of light, the key light and the fill light. The key light is placed to one side of the camera and illuminates the subject, creating shadows and the fill light is positioned directly opposite the key light to ‘fill in’ the shadows. This produces a more harmonised and authentic appearance.

3 Point Lighting

3 point lighting involves the use of 3 lights which are strategically placed in order to create a well balanced photograph, whilst illuminating the subject. Alike 2 point lighting, 3 point lighting includes a key light and fill light, however, it also has a backlight. The backlight is placed behind the subject to illuminate the sides of the subject and make it stand out from the background, rather than blending in.

Fill Lighting

Fill lighting is used to reduce contrast between highlights and shadows in an image as well as illuminate areas which may be unlit to reveal details in the areas of the subject which may not have been seen beforehand. It’s most commonly used in portrait photography to create a more aesthetically pleasing image.

Chiaroscuro

Chiaroscuro is a word which originated in Italy, translated to lightdark and defined as a bold contrast between light and dark. Using this technique creates a 3D effect in photos and paintings through highlights and shadows, as well as create a sense of depth. The light and shadow becomes more pronounced and impactful in this technique when in black and white. Chiaroscuro is also used in photography to emphasise shapes, create a sense of volume and drama, evoke mood and suggest motion. The most used technique for taking these images are 1 point lighting with the use of a reflector and sometimes even a back light.

Rembrandt lighting

Rembrandt lighting is a technique named after Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, who was a great Dutch painter. This technique refers to lighting which produces an upside down triangle below the eyes of the subject. This triangle is formed by the shadow of the nose and is often opposite the key light. This technique is used to create an appealing result without the need for the use of editing.

Butterfly lighting

Butterfly lighting is a portrait technique where the light source is positioned directly in front of and above the subject to create a shadow under their nose. This technique is named ‘butterfly’ as the shadow beneath the nose resembles the wings of a butterfly. This technique reduces shadows on the subject’s face to highlight their features and it is often used for glamour shots.

Virtual Gallery

Evaluation

I personally think that this image is one of my best Environmental Portraits because I think it is effective how his outfit fits the environment he is within and I also think that the photo is unique because it’s not very easy to get into the warehouse for the government vehicles. If I were to take this image again, I would potentially try and take in in another position so that you can see more of the warehouse, however, I was not allowed to get the number plates in the photos.

I also really like this photo because I think that the women’s character and appearance reflects the shop she is in and I also like how she is wearing her apron with the little badges as they suit the background.

Photoshoot Plan

My plan for this photoshoot is to go to various workplaces and take photos of people within their own workplaces. I would like to aim to take photos of mainly people who have dresses in a way that links to their workplace, such as by wearing an apron, suit or outfit with logos of the workplace. I also think it would be a good idea to get photos of my Grandad in his armchair as it is typically the place he is associated with. Some locations I am going to try get photos are in the Market, at Waffle House and I may see if I can go to the States of Jersey offices with my parents.

Contact Sheet

This is my contact sheet of all of my photos taken in the photoshoot. I am now going to create a smaller contact sheet with all of my best images for editing.

This is a collection of my best photos which I am going to use to edit.

Edits

Edit 1

This is a photo of my Grandad in his Armchair. I edited this photo by cropping it then decreasing exposure, contrast and shadows. I finished off by increasing highlights, texture and clarity.

Edit 2

I got this photo in Little Wren in the Market of the lady who works there stood at the till. I edited this photo by slightly cropping the bottom and increasing the texture and clarity to make the image more clear and give it more depth.

Edit 3

This is a photo of the man who works in Waffle House. I edited this photo by, starting off, cropping the top, bottom and left then slightly decreasing the exposure. Lastly, I increased the temperature, tint, texture and clarity.

Edit 4

This is a photo of my Dad at his desk at work. I edited this photo by cropping the top and bottom then increasing the texture and clarity.

Edit 5

This is one of the very important bosses within the States of Jersey. I edited this photo by, firstly, cropping the top and bottom then slightly rotating it so that the side of the shelving unit lines up with the side of the photo. Finally, I increased the exposure, highlights and texture.

Edit 6

This is a photo of a random guy at the States building. I edited this photo by cropping the bottom and then increasing the texture and clarity to enhance the finer details.

Edit 7

I took this photo in the Warehouse where they maintain Government vehicles, this is one of the Mechanics. I edited this photo by slight rotating the photo so that the beam across the image is straight and then I cropped the top of the image. I also increased the texture and clarity and slightly adjusted the exposure.

Edit 8

This is a photo of another Mechanic who is doing work on a Police Motorcycle. I edited this photo by cropping the top and slightly decreasing the exposure to make is more clear and less pixelated.

Edit 9

All I did to edit this photo was decreasing the texture then, additionally, using the brush tool to decrease the exposure of the windows.

Edit 10

This is a photo of one of the States workers who are in charge of the pumping stations on the Island, as shown by the map on the TV screen. I edited this photo by cropping the top and then increasing the texture and decreasing the exposure.

Final Outcomes

Virtual Gallery

Evaluation

Who is Arnold Newman?

Arnold Newman was an American photographer, born in 1918 and died in 2006. From 1936 to 1938, Newman attended the University of Miami then later became an assistant in a Photography studio. In 1941, Newman had his first major exhibition in New York, where he eventually opened his own Portrait studio in 1946 after visiting the City frequently. Arnold Newman was best known for his Environmental Portraits, featuring various artists, writers, political leaders, scientists and more, typically in their own space or somewhere constructed to fit their character. Some of these people include Pablo Picasso, Marilyn Monroe, Jean Cocteau and Igor Stravinsky, many of these images published within magazines such as Time, Look, Life and Harper’s Bazaar.

Image Analysis

Emotional

This photograph makes me feel quite intimidated as the man in the image appears unfriendly and stern and the surroundings look cold and harsh. The positioning of his hands also give the impression that he is plotting an evil scheme, this adds to the oppression.

Visual

This image consists of dull colours with a lack of natural light and was taken in an industrial place. The subject’s aged, stern appearance fits in with the background, which looks like a train factory because it appears like it would be a manly and hard workplace. The fact that the subject is wearing a suit implies that he has authority, therefore, he may be the boss of the factory. The serious look on his face, texture of his skin and the background together all create the impression that the subject is firm and solemn. In this image, there are also many dark tones which may represent the subject’s personality and morals.

Technical

This image has a wide depth of field as you can see far into it and, in terms of perspective, it looks like it is getting further away. The focus/focal point of this photo is the factory owner and it can be seen that there are various leading lines towards him. These include the lights on the ceiling and the trains each side of him. the two pillars and the fact that he is centred within the photo creates symmetry and a sense of balance. Additionally, the pillars also provide a frame for the subject which makes your focus go towards him. The lighting coming from the rear side in this image is quite unique and peculiar as well as the lights on each side of his face. This lighting gives the subject a slender appearance and creates a darker atmosphere, linking with his sinful nature.

Conceptual

This image was taken by a Jewish Photographer, Arnold Newman, of a German Factory Owner. The Factory owner, Alfred Krupp was a convicted War Criminal, therefore, Arnold Newman’s intention was to portray Krupp as evil in the photograph. He did this by making Krupp look like he was plotting an evil scheme through his facial expressions and positioning and using lighting to highlight Krupp’s features such as his wrinkles and nose, almost as if to make him look unpleasant. After seeing this photo, Alfred Krupp was furious as he was just asking for a regular self portrait.

Contextual

In 1963, Newsweek magazine wanted to commission Arnold Newman to take a photograph of Alfred Krupp, a German industrialist who was a convicted war criminal for helping the Nazis, however, he was later pardoned. Arnold Newman originally declined this offer as he was Jewish, therefore didn’t want to be involved with him, but then changed his mind and wanted to backstab Alfred Krupp so he went and proceeded with the job.

What is environmental portraiture and how is it used?

Environmental portraiture is a style of photography when a portrait is taken in the subject’s usual environment, such as in their home or workplace. The location is usually somewhere significant to them. Environmental portraits often provide context and insight into the life of the subject, possibly even displaying their personality or profession to offer a deeper understanding of who they are. Finally, this style of portraiture reveals an understanding of the person being photographed and depict the nature of their personality.

Moodboard

Typology in Environmental Portraiture

Typology refers to a series of photographs that share similarities within a specific category. Typologies are used by photographers to highlight patterns, variations and characteristics and allow the viewers to identify a common theme or subject.

Typologies can be presented in environmental portraiture by creating a variety of portraits which fit into groups such as ages, occupations, locations, workplaces, genders, hobbies and more. Additionally, other ways of creating a typology within environmental portraiture could be using similar camera angles, lighting techniques, subject placement or even colours. By presenting the images within a typological series, this can create a deeper understanding of the subject to the viewer.