What is a Diptych and Why Should I Shoot Them?

Diptych

noun dip·tych \ˈdip-(ˌ)tik\

1. A 2-leaved hinged tablet folding together to protect writing on its waxed surfaces

2.  A picture or series of pictures (as an altarpiece) painted or carved on two hinged tablets

3. A work made up of two matching parts

(http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diptych)

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Even though this word may sound foreign to you, it is not foreign to your eyes. In photography diptychs are used all of the time. We often see diptychs, or triptychs, used to tell a story, show a progression of time, compare objects, make a metaphorical statement, etc. There are endless ways to utilize this method in photography. Ever take a blurry shot and discard it? Place that blurry shot next to another that you have taken that was in focus and it could be used to tell a story! Happy accidents!

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I walked around Downtown Las Vegas and got some really interesting shots to combine! I tried to have a few different outcomes both in reasoning, size, and feeling.

Having fun with shapes and shadows

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Comparing real and unreal

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Making a statement

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Having fun with details found in different areas

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Some of the most fun in creating these images is figuring out how you want to place the images and how to size them. Do you want them on top of each other? Set out horizontally? Which image should be bigger or are they the same size? Do they have a border? Are the images square or rectangular? It is easiest to shoot in one orientation only when starting to shoots Diptychs because it makes combining them much faster. If you shoot one image in portrait orientation and one in landscape, the image may not come out the way you want even though the pictures go very well together.

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Go through your past shoots and look for images that might fit together. You might have passed by an image thinking it wasn’t what you wanted but it could fit really well with an image you shot on a different occasion!

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Photo Challenge of the week:

Create a Diptych of your own and post it in the comments! If you post on social media use the hashtag #CJPDIPTYCH! Tell a story, tell a joke, zoom in on a detail, make a statement, compare something, do a before and after, just grab your camera and create!! Use the examples above and below to get inspired!

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Helpful Links:

The Art Of Combining Two Images

Diptychs on Pinterest

71 Dual-Wielding Diptychs

Here are some images from Google that helped inspire my Downtown Las Vegas shoot:

Lumix GH2, M.Zuiko 48mm f/1.8

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Casey Jade is a Las Vegas Photographer and keeps a photography blog where she writes about photography, business, marketing, and life. Ask her questions on Facebook, follow her adventure on Instagram, or keep up with her interesting links and awesome quotes on Twitter!

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