Unit 27 Digital Image Capture & Editing - Research

                      When it comes down to photo montage I'd be the first to admit that I couldn't really name anyone off the top of my head but then I guess that's the whole idea behind doing some research as part of your studies. That's not to say that I wouldn't recognise anything of note if I fell over it because that wouldn't be true as we've all seen the propaganda images produced by all sides during World War 2.

                                                       

                              So I've been having a look around online to not just simply find a few people that produce these photomontages but see if I can actually choose those that I find interesting, either simply from a visual view point or even just because they might make me smile...the odder the better.

                            First up I've chosen Sean Hillen who's early works from between 1983 and 1993 documented the troubles in Northern Ireland by the simple approach of glue and a scalpel to produce such works as Jesus Appears In Newry from 1992.

                                               


                                     His work has appeared in the Royal Photographic Journal and on the cover of Creative Camera magazine as well as getting a double page spread in The Times .
Going back to what I said earlier about things that amuse me, I'm rather fond of this one because not only does it feature one of Newry's favourite sons but also a rather snappy title in Pat Jennings Appears In Bolton, Security Forces Investigate .

                                                  

                                     My final selection is a piece called Who Is My Enemy ? which at first glance just looks like a random selection of people pasted into a street scene but on closer inspection you see the pill box and then the accompanying words go on to explain how he discovered these observation/shooting posts when just out on one of his photo walks but they weren't an immediate feature. A bit like the viewer taking a second look at this image.

                                                   

                                      If you want to read more about Sean, trust me it's worth the trip, then head on over to his website at Sean Hillen.com or failing that at least take the time out to watch this short video about his project called Ghost Shops  in which his images are almost montages in themselves, but they're not really...you'll see what I mean and it's only a minute long ..
                                    My second choice came from a guy called Erwan Soyer who I discovered over at One Day You Will Find Me .com . Erwan is French graphic designer and illustrator who is influenced by, amongst others, Terry Gilliam of Monty Python fame which is fairly evident in this first image.

                                                          

                                             I can't actually tell you a great deal more about this guy apart from I just presume him to be fairly youthful judging by the interview that takes place over at the previously mentioned source of these images. My next choice I made because I like the way he has incorporated the apparent illusion of  texture into the image. 

                                                            
              
                                                The final image from his portfolio is this one which once again features a human figure interacting with a manufactured background but in a clever and slightly amusing way plus I'm also beginning to appreciate the use of things as simple as paper being incorporated to produce that slightly 3 dimensional effect by shooting it in a 2 dimensional situation .


                                                               

                                         My final choice comes from something I stumbled across this week by a photographic historian from The Hague called Jo Teeuwisse and her series Ghosts Of History  which started when she discovered a series of old negatives and wanted to find out who they were made by and where they were taken which in turn lead to her incorporating them into modern photographs of the original locations. I haven't added any further text to these as I feel they just speak for themselves but all the additional information and a whole selection of other images are available at her website in the above link .

                                                           

                                           
                                                      

                                              

                                                      
                                                        

                                           All in all some pretty clever stuff from quite a simple idea, sometimes you just have to let your mind expand all on it's own so it can soak up more ideas.