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PHOTO PROJECT 19:


PHOTOMONTAGE


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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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