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PHOTO PROJECT 19:

PHOTOMONTAGE

B

ack in the 1930s, artists such as John Heartfield and

El Lissitzky first took up the idea of mixing and

merging different photographs together to create

work unlike anyone else at the time.

The secret of effective montage lies both in the choice of

source materials and the combination of these elements into

a brand new image that is better than the sum of its parts.

Although there are still plenty of reasons to make a

photomontage with paper, glue and a scalpel, the digital route

offers much more flexibility. Yet blending together different

elements is not easy, as one of the hardest editing tasks is to

create an accurate selection edge of a complex shape. There

are many tools in Photoshop that offer quick-fix solutions to

this problem but all are at the expense of high quality.

For this project we are going to make a new image that

has been constructed out of two or more different sources

and we are going to use Photoshop’s Pen tool to create

razor-sharp cut-outs.

2 TRAVEL MONTAGE

1 SCANNER STILL-LIFE

Flatbed scanners can scan the underside of any three-

dimensional object just like a photocopier can make an image of

your hand. Surprisingly, most sensors can record objects within

a plane of about two inches from the glass.

Scanner plate glass is easily damaged on contact with hard

objects, so cover it first with a sheet of ultra clear acetate. With

the lid open or removed altogether, pick the most interesting

facet of the object and place it face down on the glass. Next

drape a large sheet of white paper over your object to prevent

ambient room light from confusing the ‘exposure’.

Scan at 300ppi in RGB mode, like this before and after

example of a scanned herring! These scans are perfect for

editing in montage projects.

Imagine being able to assemble your collected keepsakes from a

recent journey together in one single image. Printed papers, ephemera

and even camera images are all possible ingredients to consider.

Many inspiring journal books such as Bill Burke’s Mine Fields,

combine fragments of found matter with his own writings and

photographs, making an end product that is more atmospheric than

images alone.

In this example, the flatbed was used to capture a sheet of writing

paper and separate flower and squeezed in between is a camera-

created image taken on location.

When was the last time you scanned a fish? If you want to contact

your inner surrealist, then explore the techniques of glue-free

photomontage in Tim Daly’s latest photographic project.

INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE

‘Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination.

Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations,

architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. In any case, always remember

what Jean-Luc Godard said: “It’s not where you take things from – it’s where you take them to”’– Jim Jarmusch

SECTION 1: CONCEPT IDEAS

Choose one of these starting points to plan your montage

project. Remember, you can use any kind of material as

long as it can be scanned or easily shot.

TECHNIQUE

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