Monday, December 24, 2007

Double Exposures #1 or #2


"Double Exposure #1"
Electric switching station & Castle Apartments

"Double Exposure #2"
rust.seldom.sleeps & Rusty Star

"Wonder what this does?"

That simple question is how I began a long journey into night. Like Pandora's box, I opened a whole new world for my photographs: the Double Exposure. I'm talking about Photoshop's Apply Image feature. I stayed up until 2 a.m. playing with a dozen pictures and every imaginable tweaking of drop down boxes.

Just seconds after my mind wrapped around the possibilities, though, I knew I would be doing what eventually became image #2. It is my homage to a new blog and artist I've found, typos.daylight.fate. (I'm sorry, John, you'll possibly get a few more admirers now.) His digital collages (using MS Paint) have gotten under my skin big time.

Turn about is fair play. John honored a couple of my photos in a few of his recent collages, and I wanted to do the same. But how to use his collages in my photography? I was reminded of the quote attributed to Elvis Costello, "Writing about music is like dancing about architecture - it's a really stupid thing to want to do."

Well, it was something stupid I wanted to do. And that quick visit to Serendip lead me by the hand to double exposures.

I'm reminded of another quote. "The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity." (Dorothy Parker, American poet, writer, caustic wit, 1893-1967)

Which double exposure do you prefer?

11 comments:

Bobbie said...

Woah! I just tried this technique and am totally in awe! I just happened to be working on an image while reading your blog, so I opened a new image, copied some stuff into it, then apply image and what a delight!

John's blog is awesome...must go spend some time there.

I love both of these images, but if I have to choose then it is #2 :)


Sorry, gotta go now and try out some stuff with apply image!
p.s. Merry Christmas dear daughter!

Andi said...

#1. I love the color and the movement. #2 feels too controlled for me.

dianeclancy said...

Hi Debi,

I like them both greatly!! But I am going to vote for #2!

~ Diane Clancy
www.dianeclancy.com/blog

Unknown said...

whoa indeed. something worth checking out. i spent some time looking at john's blog. quite intriguing.
i vote for #2 too.
~sue

John M. Mora said...

Debi, you are too kind.

I like numero dos because of the strong star image and colors. It is also a kissing cousin, twice removed. Those little circles were made with your distant moon.

Uno is also very intriguing - I'd like the word "apart" without the "m."

I will use that "m" to wish you and your family a most merry.christmas.

It is a pleasure to be here. Thank you.

nelda said...

I prefer #2 - my (almost) standard answer. Love the colors. Such a telented little girl you are - you have my admiration - for a number of reasons.

Irene said...

Well, that's a tough one. I want to pick number two, but my eye keeps wandering back to number one, so one it is. I've just started visiting John's blog and it is well worth it, I can recommend him to anybody.

I think you've got this double exposure technique down pat. Keep doing this, you make interesting images.

Merry Christmas.

Bev said...

Great new development. I don't know much about photography but there looks to be eyes when it gets blue to the right of two to me. Windows and then eyes! You could do all sorts of subliminal images and do a really creepy one for Halloween!

I like one because all though it is an electricity substation it also looks a bit like the structure of an apartment block and speaks of the urban alienation and the hollow existence of one who may live in such an apartment. (You can tell how much I have had to drink today...)

Janet Kincaid said...

I've got to go with #1 on this pair. I love how it played with my eye, making me pause and really work to figure out "what is that?" It also has a very Hitchcockian quality and made me think it could be an opening sequence in a movie like "North By Northwest."

Excellent photo compositions again!

Debi said...

Thank you everyone for voting, especially during this very busy time of year.

Mom, it will be very interesting to me to see what you come up with using this technique and I am glad you are excited about it as well. I'm glad you visited John's blog.

Andi, I appreciate your feedback. This is also a fun way to get to know people better, or at least what kind of qualities beauty speaks to them most. You like a bit of wildness. Yay! Me, too.

Diane, thank you for your vote and your encouraging words.

Sue, I'm glad you visited John's blog. And since you are way ahead of me in Photoshop, I'll be eager to see what take you'll have on this technique.

John, "Kissing cousin, twice removed." In every way I enjoy the way you see and write about the world. It's a pleasure to have you here. Thank YOU.

Nelda, when I was younger, being called a little girl would have insulted me. Now I love it and especially said by a dear friend such as yourself. Funny how time changes our perspective on things, isn't it?

Irene, thank you always for your votes and your encouragement. Now that I've seen what good taste you have in your apartment and your love of art (in so many places in your apartment), I am even more grateful for your input.

Bev, drink more, drink more. I always enjoy your deeper readings of things, here and elsewhere. I love it, but was just kidding about drinking more.

D.C. I see it too now -- the Hitchcockian quality. That font (it is an old one) and the angle I think are what do it. Cool. I like that comparison.

I'm so glad this first installment of Double Exposure (or is it Double Indemnity? Oops, no that's not a Hitchcock film). I'm pleased to say -- since it was in honor of John's work -- that #2 is the winner. (And #1 is no slouch, missing by just one vote.)

Lucky Dip Lisa said...

wow, this is a hard one...I LOVE the top right corner of number 2. It just about steals the show all by itself...but number 1 is going to pip it at the post by a whisker..just.
Nice work Debi.