VTT STUDIO
PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 63
PROJECTTWO
CREATE A FINE
ART TRIPTYCH
A
RCHITECTURE
is all about form,
and this makes
buildings an
endless source
of lead-in lines
and geometric shapes, which
you can use to create some
stunningabstract
photography.And
when it comes
to displaying
these shots,
the classic
tr iptych
fo rmat is
a fitting
choice.
A triptych
- literally‘three
panel’ – isan
artistic wayof grouping
to gethershotswitha common
theme. It’s a series of three
related images displayed
next to one another, usually
separated by a thin border,
so bear this display goal in
mind as you head out to find
some inspiring buildings.
To get the abstract look, use
a telephoto lens and focus in
on one aspect of the buildings.
Hunt around for anything
eye-catching, whether that’s
a dominant colour, a theme,
a particular shape within the
building, or a texture.
Once you’ve
found that key
aspect, identify
di fferent
variations on
that theme
to collate
your three
shots, and
aim to shoot
all three images
towork as a set.
Findlead-in lines that
youcanarrange to flow
between images to take the
viewer’s eye across the whole
piece, binding it together
as one narrative as shots
that are designed to be best
appreciated in unison.Urban ProjectsPHOTOSHOP
TIP
SHOOTIN
PORTRAIT
Shootingin portraitrather
thanlandscapeorientation
givesa muchmorevisually
pleasingfinalimage
dimension.Struggling to get your triptych shots to gel together?
Try applying a gritty mono texture in Photoshop.n CONVERT TO BLACK & WHITE
At the bottom of your Layers palette click Create New
Fill or Adjustment Layer and choose Black & White.n ADJUST THE COLOUR SLIDERS
In the Properties window that opens, you can control
the tones in your image by dragging the sliders.
Sliding left darkens that colour and right lightens it.n CREATE CONTRAST
To maximise contrast, drag the Blue sliders to the left
and the Red sliders to the right.