Composite photography

Composite photography is the use or combination of two or more different images to create a new one. Although it sounds simple, the creation of a new image using the composite method is a process that can take hours — it’s something that requires constant practice in order to create believable compositions.

This photographic sorcery didn’t start with the advent of Photoshop – in fact, quite the opposite. Before digital photography was even a twinkle in Steven Sasson’s eye, composite photography was already being practiced in the 1880’s when Sir Francis Galton invented a technique to take multiple exposures on the same photographic plate.

Often, the final composite image juxtaposes objects or living things in unlikely (or impossible) combinations. Sometimes, the scene depicted is plausible, but would be too difficult to capture in a candid moment. Other times, composite images are used to blend several still shots of landscapes and cityscapes to make use of the best lighting, combining them to make a stunning but technically impossible photo.