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The secret to successful composite photography - part 1 - part 2 of 1 2 3 4

by George Fairbairn Published 01/10/2014

The second group are the, 'Purists' they won't consider composites under any circumstances because they think that it is not 'real' photography.

The last group are the, 'Composite All-Stars' these people have generally experienced a massive amount of satisfaction with their end result, which is down to correctly planning lighting set-ups, etc, before every shoot. They constantly visualise finished images in their head, the planning stage is never an option, it is mandatory to them. Planning is what will make or break your images, and even the best photographer in the world will struggle to create a good composite if they don't plan.

Absolutely no prizes for guessing that planning is my number one tip for incredible composites. But what should you be planning in order to create realistic and amazing composites? Here's what you should be considering in order of importance to the result: Height and Perspective

When I am training other photographers about composites, a lot of people are surprised that lighting isn't number one on this list. Lighting is extremely important, but height and perspective are the difference between extraordinary composites and sub-standard work.

In order for your finished image to look realistic, all the individual elements must be shot from the same height and the same perspective. If they are not, it will be obvious and your image will fail. Trying to put a person or object that you photographed standing up onto a background, you photographed lying down or kneeling, simply isn't going to work. At the very least it will just look plain weird! The same is true for perspective; if you shot a background kneeling down, but pointing your camera up you have to shoot your subject from the same height and with your camera pointing up as well in order to deliver a realistic image.

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1st Published 01/10/2014
last update 09/12/2022 14:55:10

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