Sometimes
it’s just not possible to capture everything you want in a single shot. The
solution is simple – shoot two photos and display them side-by-side. Alfonso
Calero explains.
Lately
I’ve been experimenting with the idea of mixing and matching my photos. I find that
displaying two images side-by-side is a great way to tell a story
photographically, and to create ideas that are not necessarily evident when one or
the other image is displayed by itself. If you're interested in trying this technique with your own images, here are some of the tricks I’ve picked
up along the way.
01 TRAVEL SHOTS
When you’re travelling it
can be difficult to capture the true sense of a place with just one photo. Often, a
travel experience is about the people, the food, the architecture, and the
quirky things you just don’t see at home. And while you may be able to capture some of those things in a single shot, they're often easier to convey in a series of images. For that reason, combining images can be a very useful
technique in travel photography. Using two different genres such as a portrait
and a still life can help you tell a bigger
story with your images.
02
PORTRAIT AND OBJECT
You can add more interest
to a portrait by including an object that belongs to the sitter. In this case,
combining a photo of a chef with one of his signature dishes allowed me to tell
a more compelling story than if I had displayed either image on its own.
03 WIDE AND CLOSE-UP
A great way to show a
sense of place is to match a wide-angle photo with a detail shot. In the image
below, the building gives us an overview, while the lantern fills in some of
the architectural details.
04
SAME SCENE DIFFERENT SHOT
A repetition of a similar
photo can add interest to a series of photos. I like to call it the “Spot the
Difference” approach. When people see two similar images they can’t help
looking for differences, and that’s usually enough to spark some interest in
your photo.
05
LEADING LINES
You
can use leading lines to visually connect one photo to another. In the photo below, the leading lines converge nicely in the centre to move our eyes
left and right between the photos. Repetition of
colours, lines, textures, shapes and angles of view can be used to create a close relationship or a juxtaposition between photos.
Born and raised in the Philippines, Alfonso Calero moved to Australia at the age of 15. He graduated from the Sydney Institute of Technology with an Associate Diploma in Photography in 2001 and has been professionally photographing food, portraits, landscapes and travel subjects ever since. He started a travel education and tours company four years ago delivering workshops every Saturday morning in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Fremantle. He also takes groups of four people to Japan, Philippines, Spain and Tasmania once a year for 10-14 day photography workshops. His new photography e-book is Unlock Your Creativity.