CONCEPT: April Dinner

What do you do a joiner of? It pays to begin with simple joiners using only a few photographs. Two is sufficient to create something original. However, I understand if you wish to be more ambitous. You have to remember that it can be confusing in your software program if you are using several layers of photographs and you have to come up with a system for working. But your first question is likely to be what do I want to make. My suggestion is that to begin you take photographs of precisely what is in front of you.

The following example is APRIL DINNER:

 

Mealtimes are when the family is together and sitting in one place. While lots of things are going on there is still a structure and limitations to the scene. I like to do joiners of meals and tables for several reasons. For instance I like the way the table surface will bend downwards in a primitive way as you move to the foreground. Also, I get to have a plate or an object in front to represent me, rather than the usual shadow or pair of shoes. It also means you get to take several photos of the family from close quarters where they are not moving too much (they still move but you can plan a scene a bit better with a ‘stationary’ cast). I like to make pictures of family and friends. It makes me feel I am doing things for posterity, for sons and daughters and following generations to see. This joiner started with seventeen images. The following image is a screen shot of the initial arrangement. (Click here for a larger image)

I'm not going to take you through the step by step sequence of putting this together as it would take too long. The techniques are the same for two or twenty and it is the techniques you have to work on the most.

The following pages in the Concept section show further examples of joiners taken on the same deck but with very different results.