Composite Photography

As a fairly newbie at creating composite images, I am amazed as to why I didn't tried this method before. For the first time, I am having a lot of fun digging deep into my portfolio to find some of my old dull images, replacing the boring sky background and adding a more dramatic sky. Combining some of my old images with a new background, its giving these images a new lease of life, so to speak. 

According to the internet, composite photography is the use or combination of two or more different images to create a new one. Composite imagery is photography, computer-generated images, and/or stock photos that are blended together to create hyper-realistic or fantastical results. 

It all started with my recent trip to Biloxi, Mississippi and New Orleans, Louisiana at the end of October.

Realizing that I am my own worst critic, I was very disappointed with the final version of the New Orleans picture. I'll spare you the details, but I went through a lot of trouble to get that picture of New Orleans skyline from Algiers Point Historic District. After all the hassle, to come home with a boring and dull image and knowing that there is a high probability I would never visit New Orleans again, I finally decided to try to combine two images to create the one I was looking for. I was so impressed with the final result, that I am now doing the same with a few pictures taken years ago. 

The first image was taken from Algiers Point Historic District in New Orleans at the end of October. I wasn't happy with the sky, so I just added the dramatic clouds background. This picture has become very popular on my Flickr account. The second picture, of the Philadelphia skyline, was taken three years ago from the South Street Bridge. I simply added the lightning background for dramatic effect.  The Boston Harbor image was also taken three years ago, but I found the original sky to be too boring. And finally, the One World Trade Center was taken from Jersey City in 2018. As the other images, I thought they were great pictures, with a cloudless sky.

I am very happy with the final results, especially when some of us don't have the time or finances to return to a location several times expecting to capture the perfect photograph under excellent weather conditions. In my opinion, the sky replacement looks great and it gives the photographs a whole new meaning.  

Discuss. 

Behind the Scenes : New York City Skyline

Are you afraid of heights? To be honest, I am. It feels like I am having a panic attack when I look down from the top of a building, the same fear I feel when I take a plane or ride my motorcycle over a bridge.

The first time I visited the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada, didn't realize the elevator floor is made out of glass panels. Once we reached the CN Tower top floor observation deck I almost had a heart attack when I realized the observation deck floor is also a glass floor. I was so scared that I hugged the wall near the entrance and waited for the next elevator to take me down.

For a while now, I have been thinking of walking the Manhattan Bridge pathway to take a picture of the Brooklyn Bridge and NYC skyline from above. Yesterday, it took a lot of courage for me to walk on the Manhattan Bridge for the first time; I put earplugs on to reduce car and subway train noise. Luckily there are strategically placed holes in the chain-link fence along the pedestrian path, so it is easier to photograph one of most amazing skylines in the world.

The bridge gives an awesome perspective of the Brooklyn Bridge and lower Manhattan. I like this image so much I am about to print a 20" x 30" enlarged poster, and hang it in my living room. I spent about one hour shooting the spectacular view, and soaking up the sun on this beautiful day.

Afterwards, I went to the Top of the Rock at the Rockefeller Center, the iconic NYC historic landmark in the heart of midtown Manhattan. My goal was to get a good picture of the Empire State Building and capture the One World Trade Center and downtown Manhattan in the background.

To avoid the large crowds I purchased online tickets in advance for early morning. Top of the Rock opens at 8:00 am; at 8:30 am, it was already crowded. As always, a good rule of thumb is to research the rules and regulations on photography equipment before you get to your location. Knowing in advance that they don't allow tripods up there, I brought with me my Platypod Ultra.

A group of security guards were standing next to me chit chatting, didn't pay attention to what I was doing. I used the concrete ledge with the cable release and a camera wrist strap and took lots of pictures. As a first time Platypod user, it passed the test with flying colors.

At the end of the day, I was able to accomplish what I set out to do.