Too Much of Me - Combining Exposures

Like everything else, It all starts with an idea.

Some hair-brained thought that maybe I can make this work.

Besides, I have edited photos in the past and had them turn out pretty good.

I once took one picture of myself, a friend, and my wife and I swapped all of our heads.

On another, I made a gif where I turned my brother's picture into some kind of ugly elf.

I went to take a picture of my cousin once and he mooned me.  I fixed his wagon, that goofy monkey!

I added the tail by copying the color of the hair on the back of his head and kept duplicating it using a clone tool in Adobe Photoshop.  This is where I started, way back before I really got into photography, back when I just started learning about the fun you can have editing photos.

I once worked as a Graphic Coordinator for  a company when I was about 21 years old.  I had no college training, but I seemed to have a gift for editing.  I did it my way and I was a fast learner.  My siblings are great artists with a pen or pencil in their hands, but not me.  I can barely color inside of the lines.  But, I could create masterpieces for companies like Braun's R&D, Snap-on, Test Products International, and The Wisconsin Department of Transportation, to name just a few.  Well, that only lasted a few years and then I went back to a career in welding.

It was only a few years ago in 2016 that I got back into photography with the help of a great friend.  That winter, I started experimenting with some settings on my camera and started using a tripod.  I found that if you set up a shot and set the timer (and later a remote) you can have the same shot placement and edit in or out whatever you wanted or didn't want.

This was my first try.  I thought it turned out pretty fun, but I wanted to have a little more fun with this.

This was the second shot.  But I could do better..

There.  Now this picture was a lot of fun.  Some of the fun is the editing, but most of it is in the planning and shooting.

This one was my favorite.  There was quite a bit of planning that went into this picture.  You have to strategically place your tripod and get the right height on the camera.  Lighting has to be right, so does the white balance.  I don't often shoot auto white balance.  Sometimes, I go full manual with it based upon the conditions in the environment I'm shooting.

Next, select manual focus and go big with your f stop.  Most times I shoot these around f/22 so I get all the details in the room and it's easier to overlay shots without having that paper doll effect.  It's all got to be seamless, like 3-D, not cut and paste in 1-D.

So, let's go through my shooting process.  Set up the camera and tripod and get a few test shots to make sure the frame, focus, and white balance it right.  Also, check on the exposure.  You may have to darken the room or lighten it, use fill flash, or adjust your ISO.  You also may have to increase or decrease your exposure levels, which most digital cameras have on them.

This is my test shot and also my base photo.  I'll use this for the background since it's not cluttered or has too many shadows in it.

Now, start strategically placing yourself in the shot.  I did a wardrobe chance every time, but just my shirt and hat.  Remember the small details.  Think of the big picture and how you want it to turn out.

Where does everyone fit in the picture?  What do you want everyone doing?  Make it fun and add some goofy elements.  Hide things that you normally won't see in the first glance.  Make it a picture that you'll want to study like you're looking for Waldo (I'll have to remember this for a later shoot...)

You can use your shots to cover areas of the room that you don't like or use them to accent features that you want to show off.

After you've got all the shots that you think you want, carefully remove the memory card and download them onto your editing computer.  I keep my camera in the same place in case I want to re-shoot a character, or add something.

I use Adobe Photoshop and On1 to edit my photos.  I've worked with Photoshop since the late 90's.  On1 has some great features, and since I usually shoot these scenes in RAW for best quality, I edit first with that program.  You'll have to work in layers, each photo as 1 layer.  Use the masking took on the top picture to remove the areas where you want the picture underneath to show through.  I like working with 2 layers at a time while I hide the rest of the layers. You can also change the other layer's opacity and "ghost" them so you have reference to where the rest of your characters are.  Most programs will let you unmask if you happen to mess up a little bit.  You'll have to play with this for a while until you really get it.  It may take quite a bit of time to get it just right at first, but it'll get easier after you've done it a few times.  That's why I started small and only had 3 elements in the first few pictures.

After editing, this is what the finished picture looks like.  If you render or "flatten" the image and combine all layers, it's easier to finish editing the colors, shadows, exposure, or remove bothersome spots on the walls, if you have any.

I did the same thing with my daughters, using them as my characters.  I can play director with them and tell them where to sit, pose their arms and legs, have them change wardrobes... that sort of thing so I can make it easier to edit.  I can easily review photos and tell them exactly where I want them to be for the best final picture.

I call this one Baker's Helpers.  Looking back, I should've had the tripod centered a little more to the right.  I might do another like this, but shrink her body and make it look like she's a bunch of miniatures of herself.  That would consist of  editing more in Photoshop, since it's easier to cut her out and scale her down.  We'll wait for another rainy day in the future for that.

This is my other daughter.  There's 11 shots here, all combined into 1.  I'm not really happy about the lighting on this one, but that's just me being picky.  I was also using a wide angle lens adapter that screws onto my 18mm kit lens.

Start small and when you've got the hang of it, GO BIG!  This is such a fun way to make memories.  Even if it's only with yourself.  You may even develop your own way to do this.  Might be easier than mine.  Either way, I'm still having fun shooting, learning, and displaying my finished works around the house and online.