Similarities and Differences

If you take photographs on a regular basis you will eventually find that you repeat your approach at times either by design or subconsciously.

Here, I have grouped three such images together as a triptych.

They were all taken in Arles, France during their Photo Festival 2022.

The images all feature a human figure, an exhibited photograph and one or more chairs. However each image is very different in composition and storytelling.

The left hand image depicts an empty chair in the foreground and a man walking down the hill. Will he turn the corner and sit on the chair with the poster displayed overhead ? Perhaps he vacated the chair a while ago and is now returning.

The right hand image shows a corner of an outside photographic exhibition. Note how the woman’s arm mirrors that of the couple hugging in the displayed image. The slatted table and chairs throw interesting shadows which visually enliven the foreground.

The figure in central picture is part of the large canvas backdrop as is the wooden stool but there is a ‘real’ stool in front and if you look closely, a transparent plastic chair to the right.

So there are many similarities of subject matter in these photographs but they all have different narratives. The other elements which help to successfully present images in close groups is to ensure that images are the same or at least similar size and that colour tones are harmonious. Also try to arrange the images in the most visually appealing way. For my set here, I placed the brightest picture in the centre. Not only that, the dominant figure on the left hand image sits in the top corner, walking into the scene and may have looked unbalanced if placed anywhere else in the set. Each individual image was carefully composed at the time of taking, if you group images together you need to be mindful of the composition as a group or set whether that is a pair of pictures or an entire exhibition wall.

You can see more of my photographs on www. instagram.com/shoreham_steve