Photomontage – assembling photographic images that relate to each other in some way to create a single work
We know what montage is.
So to remember photomontage, you just have to split the word to realise that it is photos that are used to make the montage.
PHOTO - MONTAGE
Two or more images combined to create a new one is a photomontage. The resulting images can be realistic, although sometimes farfetched or imaginative, or completely abstract, more of a random application of images.
Originally, photomontages were made by layering already printed photographs or cutting up photo negatives and rearranging them before printing, but in more recent works, photoshop and other programs allow them to be made digitally.
Carnival, South End Exhibition Rink, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, February 1899; Each figure was photographed separately and then combined to create a single image, this technique was a specialty of William Notman.
- File:Delimara_Power_Station_2009.JPG (Original File:Operation Crossroads Baker Edit.jpg (PD) File:Explosions at Miramar Airshow.jpg (PD) File:4-14 Marines in Fallujah.jpg (PD) File:Wea00816.jpg (PD) File:FirePhotography.jpg (Urheber: Sylvain Pedneault; Lizenz: cc-by-sa 3.0) File:Ostankino fire august 2000.jpg File:Blackhawk.jpg File:Iraqi Policeman.JPEG File:Gorilla gorilla gorilla Nbg.jpg File:Earth's Moon.jpg
This chaotic piece was created with 11 different images using photoshop. It looks like it could represent a dramatic war or end of the world scene. A coordinating artist placed a background on and passed it to another artist to add a picture, then when this was complete it was passed to another artist to add a picture. When it had been passed to 5 different artists, the above became the complete photomontage.
Photomontage Project 1
The possibilities for making your own montage are endless. They can be as personal and creative as you like!
Sketch the basic outline of the image you want to create.
Use magazines and newspapers to find pictures or print your own photos. They can be pictures of things very personal to you and your hobbies, pets or family, or just ones you find interesting or pretty. You can either stick to the colours of the original – for instance oranges, whites and greens for a fox on a grassy background – or you can change them completely.
Cut and tear your pictures up into smaller pieces.
Lay the pieces out over the sketch to see what works and what doesn't before sticking them into place. Don't worry about the pieces fitting together like a jigsaw, they can overlap as much or as little as you like. Try to start with the background areas first and work your way forward to the foreground – this will give the impression that the top layer is further forwards, no matter how slight.
Photomontage Project 2
Another photomontage technique is to make a less random and more readable image. For this project, we are going to create a photomontage landscape. While still created with different images, we will create a scene that makes sense as a landscape rather than a random assortment.
As with the previous image, start by gathering a selection of images. Try and collect a combination of landscape images and interesting or unusual non-landscape-based images. These random photos will make your images more interesting and personal.
Rather than sticking the elements of your image down straight away, you will benefit from arranging your elements first in this project. This will allow you to decide on a composition you like that makes sense. As you can see from the examples below, the composition on the left makes sense when you take distance and layout into consideration, whereas the one on the right does not.
Once your landscape-based features are laid out (but not glued down), you can start thinking about the interesting extra elements you are adding.
Cut out and slip the additional layers between them to create your final image. Once you are happy compositionally, you can glue them down and your photomontage landscape is complete.
Photomontage.
