2019 WEEK 32: Artistic Triptychs

Earlier this week I was asked to create a triptych from one of my photos and as I did some research to make sure I did it “correctly”, I realized that triptychs are an art form in and of themselves! The most obvious triptych is taking a single image and dividing it into three parts. But triptychs can also be created by cropping three small sections of a photo and re-arranging them in an artistic presentation. In addition, triptychs can be created by combining two or three different photographs. (Check out the links below to see examples of a triptych created from just two photographs. The trick is to copy and mirror one of the two photos to get the three “pieces”.)

A triptych can be used to tell a story or it can be used to give a different perspective. Done well, a triptych can have more visual impact than is possible with a single photograph. At its very core, a successful triptych is greater than the sum of its parts.

Horsetooth Moonset by Jeanie Sumrall-Ajero

I recommend the following links to help you explore the artistic side of triptychs:

As for how to actually put your three images together, there are options for beginners as well as more advanced photographers:

For those who process photos on your mobile devices, I highly recommend Adobe Photoshop Express. It is a FREE app for both iOS and Android. Use the Collage tool to make your triptych. (FWIW, I have found more creative options available on my iPad vs. my Android phone, but the Android version is more than enough to complete this challenge.) Alternatively, you might try searching for collage apps for Instagram.

If you post-process on a computer, there are (of course) many tutorials on how to make a triptych in Photoshop. You can also make a triptych in Lightroom using the Print Module. Or ON1. Or Gimp.

To recap this week’s challenge:

Create a triptych using 1-3 images combined into one. I encourage you to peruse the links above for inspiration beyond the obvious. Feel free to be creative with your cropping and layout options.
Post your triptych during the week of Sunday, August 4 and Saturday, August 10.
Please remember to comment on at least FIVE photo submissions this week by answering the question “why?” in your comments. In other words, “why do I like (or not like) this photo?” or “why did this photo catch my eye?” Thank you!

The friendly community guidelines are pretty simple:

Take a new photo for the current weekly theme, not something from your back catalog or someone else’s image.
Post your photo each week to our active communities on Facebook or Flickr (or both). Tag the photo: #2019photochallenge #photochallenge #tempusaura
Don’t leave home without your camera. Participating in the 2019 Trevor Carpenter Photo Challenge is fun and easy.