After a week of scrounging around on the internet for some much-needed inspiration, I’ve noticed a wonderful trend that marries photography and Photoshop beautifully; composites. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, it refers to the the combination of multiple photographs (typically taken in the same spot with the help of a tripod, just moments apart) into one single image. I’ve found a few wonderful examples that are definitely lust-worthy:

• Chris & Jessica by Jeremy Blanchard — a great illustration of a creative composite used for an engagement photoshoot, as pointed out by Photojojo’s bi-weekly newsletter.
• A Full House! by Steve Webel — a hilarious and ”cold-sweat-inducing” image that ended up an extremely successful test. His composite series is very impressive and he’s just a beginner!
• Babel Tales by Peter Funch — Composites aren’t just for fun experimentation, as well-known New York City based artist Peter Funch proves. His luscious Babel Tales series is a stunning use of the technique and is a detailed look at how similar human behavior really is.

Four Times Johnny, ©Johnny Vera

If you’re just as excited as I am, you’re also probably ready to try this technique out. Johnny Vera wrote a great article in the May/June 2009 issue of Photoshop Elements Techniques that is the perfect starting point for trying out composites, Four Times Johnny = Fun. If you’re not quite ready to try putting multiple people in the same image, but want to give compositing a test run, try out Liz Ness’s Composite Master Class. Though she’s just putting her husband on a new background, the article is chalk-full of fantastic tips that will help you with making selections around people.

I can’t wait to see who tries this technique out and I hope you post links to your final images here on the blog!