Compositing In Newborn Photography
Have you ever wondered what people mean when they talk about "compositing" something in photography? It simply means combining two or more images to make a new one. This can be a simple or complex process, a method that is automated or manual, and the result can look realistic and fantastic! You need a program capable of using layers and masks for the most effective results. This usually means Photoshop. But, when it comes to newborn photography learning how to composite a photo can bring your galleries to the next level!
When photographers say “composite” – they refer to an image that was constructed from two or more different photos. Most composites these days are done by layering images one on top of one another and then masking out the unwanted pieces using a few different methods. Another option is blending the layers together using various blending modes.
Compositing is the combining of visual elements from separate sources into single images, often to create the illusion that all those elements are part of the same scene. (Wikipedia)
Believe it or not, composite photography wasn’t out of the digital era, it was already applied more than a hundred years ago! At the dawn of photography, portrait photographers would make their subjects sit for minutes without moving to make one single frame, and then develop the sheet of film in a dark room. Surprisingly, even back then, photographers like Louis Daguerre already used different layering techniques to create composites.
Back to the future, composite images are used to achieve a vast variety of effects – from the “surrealist” of photos to the (supposedly) untouched nature landscape. Let’s take a look at how this technique can be applied to create both obvious and subtle photo manipulations.
The artistic composite
Here’s a set of examples of different composite techniques used to achieve something impossible. There’s not a lot of room for doubt – the use of layering in these is obvious from the first glance.
In the hanging basket image, I combined the shot of the green stick with the hanging basket. Both were taken from the same location. Then I added the baby to the basket. The result is "realistic”.
Frequently what people mean when they talk about composites are multiple different images combined manually to create a wholly new picture. In the newborn photo with the baseballs we only had 3 or 4 balls so I combined a picture of several shots, moving the balls around the bowl to get the final image. Then add the baby in after.
It is important to watch where your light is coming from. When compositing, you want your light source on all images that you are combining to come from the same general direction to help it look more realistic.
Other newborn photography shots like the froggy are not safely done in one shot. Baby could fall if left on their hands without support. I pose baby with hand holding arms and then switch and take image while holding his head and then combine the two in photoshop.
Compositing in newborn photography gives you the freedom to create an image that is whimsically unreal, while making it look so real! It is a really cool technique that adds so much character to your galleries and really amazes your clients. Let’s chat about newborn photography and compositing!
