I don’t usually share photos of my kids here on my blog, but I wanted to share this triptych that I made recently with my youngest daughter. What is a triptych you ask? A triptych is a series of three photos which have a flow to them in some way, and there are so many ways you can use them. One way is how I used it in this case – a series of photos from the same event which allow you to experience the moment more than a single photo would. Here with my daughter, the triptych allows you experience both motion and emotion. If I were to only use the final photo in the series, you’d simply see a smiling (and extremely cute) little girl but without any context. If I were to use only one of the mid-spin photos, not only would you get only one aspect of the motion, but you would completely miss how much she’s enjoying it. With all three together, you get a much better idea of the moment.
Of course, there are many other ways you can use this. For example, with a nature scene you could use a triptych to show a lovely landscape shot, and then add in a couple of details from the area that you can’t focus on in the sweeping landscape. If you were exploring a city, you could use contrasting scenes to express the different aspects of the town; for example, scenes from the poor, middle class, and rich communities. There are so many different ways you can use triptychs and other variations of this style to tell photographic stories, and honestly it’s limited mostly by your imagination. While it’s not for every occasion, it’s a powerful tool to include in your photography toolbox!
