A New Way Of Thinking About Photography
Cameras are mostly used to capture objective, representational photographs, what you see is what you get (WYSIWYG). But I think of a camera as an art tool, versatile & capable of so much more. The digital image sensor is akin to a painter’s blank canvas. I can chose to stack photos on it in the field or stack them later during the edit process.
I have begun to explore this new world of blended reality in earnest. All of the images below are two or more photos combined to create a new interpretative reality.
This new exploration is not in leu of continuing to create more traditional photographs. Rather it is a way of broadening my photographic palette, stretching my minds eye, adding another creative dimension.
I realize this non-traditional photography will not appeal to everyone and I respect that. I do hope those who enjoy it will take the time to send me a note. I do appreciate your feedback, support and encouragement. It means a lot to me.
Cheers
Steve
Fine Art Composite & Blends
Images in this portfolio are actual photographs layered as a composite.
Face It 23011MEND850C_5x4
A reinterpreted Death Valley National Park photograph. A copy of the original image was flipped and overlayed on top. Read the blog story about this image.
This photograph is available as a fine art archival paper print. Prefer a metal or canvas print? Contact us for a quote.
Japanese Veneer 23006MEND850C_5x4
A photo of a Japanese maple is overlayed on the latticework of a leafless climbing vine trunk, Cambridge, England, UK.
This photograph is available as a fine art archival paper print. Prefer a metal or canvas print? Contact us for a quote.
Reaching For The Sun 22003MEND800BW_3x2
A reinterpreted seascape. A Bandon beach Oregon sea spire sunset photo overlaid with an autumn photo of a maple vine root system.
This photograph is available as a fine art archival paper print. Prefer a metal or canvas print? Contact us for a quote.
Trippen Sunset 22297MEND850C_3x2
A two image merge. Background: Oregon ocean sunset. Foreground foliage near Tumalo Falls, Bend, Oregon, USA.
This photograph is available as a fine art archival paper print. Prefer a metal or canvas print? Contact us for a quote.
Beyond The Sunset 2223001MEND850C_3x2
An image of aspen trees in the Deschutes National Forest near Tumalo Falls is overlayed on a photo of the Cascade Mountain foothills taken from Tumalo Reservoir, Bend, Oregon, USA.
This photograph is available as a fine art archival paper print. Prefer a metal or canvas print? Contact us for a quote.
Latourell Hollow 22253NWND850ME_2x3
This is a two image composite photography. The background image is actually a slot canyon called Red Hollow in Orderville, Utah. The foreground may be more familiar to many. It is an image of Latourell Falls in the Columbia River Gorge east of Portland, Oregon, USA. The objective was to merge two unrelated but similarly textured environments. Both locations are rocky. The background image is actually a close within five feet of the lens while the waterfall image was taken with a long telephoto from a great distance.
Eventual Merge 22227NWND850CME_5x4
Two water sources merge in an image but could also merge in reality. The background image was taken along the Crooked River in the north canyon at Smith Rock State Park, Terrebonne, Oregon. The waterfall image is Palouse State Park, Washington, USA. It is conceivable a drop of water from the Crooked River could in fact intersect with a drop of water in the Columbia River where the water from the Palouse Falls eventually ends up before its journey to the ocean.
This photograph is available as a fine art archival paper print. Prefer a metal or canvas print? Contact us for a quote.
Season Match 22226NWND850CME_5x4
This two image blend brings together two seasons, Fall and Spring. Both images were taken in the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon, USA. The first image was taken at the Women’s Forum overlook in Fall after most of the leaves had fallen. The other was taken in Spring at the Historic Columbia Gorge Hotel garden. The seasons merge in the middle. The small stream provides a route into the frame.
This photograph is available as a fine art archival paper print. Prefer a metal or canvas print? Contact us for a quote.
Forest For The Ferns 22224NWND850CME_5x4
An close up image of forest ferns serves as the backdrop for a photo of white barked trees in the Del Norte Redwood National Park, California, USA. The objective was to create a blended montage that challenges the eye and the brain to sort it all out.
This photograph is available as a fine art archival paper print. Prefer a metal or canvas print? Contact us for a quote.
Metolius Wizard 22219NWND850CME_5x4
This is a two photo composite and one of the most surreal. The base photo was taken in autumn at Wizard Falls, Camp Sherman, Oregon. The second, what appears to be a reflection of trees in the water, was taken in the Oregon Costal forest. A color filter was added to aggregate and exaggerate the fall colors. I used the turquoise river color to compliment and contrast the red-orange foliage. The result is a surreal multiple exposure composition.
This photograph is available as a fine art archival paper print. Prefer a metal or canvas print? Contact us for a quote.
Rhododendron Reveal 22218NWND850CME_5x4
This image overlay was constructed from two images taken in the California redwood region. The base image was taken near the Elk Meadow area. The rhododendron plant and large redwood tree directly behind that fades into the background was taken deep on the Rhododendron Trail in the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. The objective was to blend two natural world images to create a new photograph that represents the whole of this unique national forest.
This photograph is available as a fine art archival paper print. Prefer a metal or canvas print? Contact us for a quote.
Broken Moss Wall 22220LND850CME
A moss covered wall serves as the under layer for this two image blend. The moss photo was taken in well below the Rim in the Grand Canyon, Arizona. The Broken Top sunset image was taken above Todd Lake in the Three Sisters Wilderness, Oregon, USA. The moss serves as abstract clouds and gives the sky texture and interest.
This photograph is available as a fine art archival paper print. Prefer a metal or canvas print? Contact us for a quote.
The Eyes Have It 22228NWND850CME_5x4
This composite photograph was a kick to put together. It could have been inspired by Halloween or maybe by researching abstract composite photos. In any case this three image merge was created using a moss covered rock wall as a background for two separate images of the ‘eyes’ of local aspen trees! The three images seem to blend seamlessly to create a symbiotic abstract.
This photograph is available as a fine art archival paper print. Prefer a metal or canvas print? Contact us for a quote.
Pine Marten Surprise Storm 22229LND850BWME
This surreal three image composite image of the sky over Pine Marten Lodge at dawn was created by blending an image of Mount Bachelor Ski Resort with two images of snow and ice taken at a nearby semi-frozen pond., Bend, Oregon, USA.
