We've had a few fun "thematic" assignments lately, so I thought it was probably time for an assignment that was a bit more technical. The assignment for this week is "Triptych." A triptych is simply defined as artwork consisting of an image (or carving) on three panels. This was a very popular format for alter paintings from the Middle Ages onward, and most often the panels were hinged so that the left and right panels could be folded closed over the center panel.
Why an assignment on triptychs? Because I think you will find that attempting to compose a good triptych will really exercise your compositional skills. Most modern triptychs are composed of three panels that have been "split" from a larger composition. This is fine, and the images look great when hung closely together on a wall. However, I believe that a true triptych is composed of three parts that not only present a cohesive image when displayed together, but are able to stand as strong compositions when displayed on their own. This is actually very challenging to pull off, and will require you to really study a scene to find an effective way to "split" the scene into three pieces. The pieces don't have to be equal sizes, and if we look back to the genesis of the triptych, most often they were composed of a larger center panel flanked by two smaller "subordinate" panels.
(http://spiritofphotography.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/left.jpg)
Bryce Canyon Sunrise (Left Panel)
(http://spiritofphotography.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/center.jpg)
Bryce Canyon Sunrise (Center Panel)
(http://spiritofphotography.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/right.jpg)
Bryce Canyon Sunrise (Right Panel)
(http://spiritofphotography.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/Triptych.jpg)
Bryce Canyon Sunrise (Composite)
NOTE: Most often a photographic triptych like this would be composed of three vertical panels, or two vertical panels flanking a central horizontal panel of the same height. In this case however, the composition of the three panels was determined by the logical framing of the three parts, which called for three horizontal compositions.
A triptych can also be defined as something composed or presented in three parts or three related views. The link to the triptych Three views of a Maple (http://stores.mesmanimages.com/-strse-6/tree,-garden,-Japanese-Garden,/Detail.bok) illustrates a good example of this type of triptych. If you do a Google search on triptych, you can find may more examples of subjects presented as three related views.
This assignment will be a challenging one, but if you stick with it, I think your composition skills will be strengthened by the exercise. Because I believe this might be a bit more time consuming than our typical assignment, I've decided to make this a two week assignment. Therefore, you have until midnight Mountain Time (GMT -07:00) on Sunday the 30th of May to upload your images to the "Triptych" album in the weekly assignments category of the Gallery. Please upload your images as three separate images, appropriately labeled with "left," "center," and "right" (or top, middle, bottom) in the file names or descriptions. If you have the ability, please also upload a composite image that shows the three images displayed as a triptych. If you can't make the composite image easily, then don't worry too much about it and I will make the composite for you when it is time to post the images in the voting thread.
I'll look forward to seeing your images!
Keith