2019 WEEK 32: Artistic Triptychs

Bodies of Nature by Steph Adams
Bodies of Nature by Steph Adams

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
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.

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.

About thedigitaljeanie

I’m a self-taught photographer and way back when I used to love taking photos, but I allowed a business that I started in 2004 to take over my life and my photographic repertoire was reduced to quick product shots and how-to tutorials. When I joined the PhotoChallenge in December 2015, I was looking to rekindle my creativity and bring some joy back into my photography. I jumped in with both feet and have not looked back. I believe that photography can change the way we see and interact with the world around us. Some people may think that I hide behind the camera, but I feel that I experience the world in a much more intimate way when I am creating a composition in my viewfinder. In those moments distractions disappear, my mind focuses and I am fully present. It is just me and my camera capturing a moment in time that might otherwise go unnoticed. My background is as varied as the photos that I take. I’ve trained and worked as a software engineer, a massage therapist, an English teacher in Vietnam, a photo restoration artist (which is how I learned Photoshop) and for the past twelve years I have run a small software business with my husband where I have been published in numerous books and magazines, appeared on PBS television, created designs for fabric, quilts and machine embroidery and won awards for some of my quilts. It should come as no surprise that I am intensely curious about life and love to learn new things. I am blessed to live in the beautiful state of Colorado, USA in the Rocky Mountain foothills outside of Fort Collins with my husband and cat. You can find me online at: Photos: flickr.com/photos/the-digital-jeanie/ Day job: KaleidoscopeCollections.com Facebook: facebook.com/jeaniesa