Here at The Phoblographer, we get really excited about gear that helps push art and creativity. Sure, many camera manufacturers are content with checking off a few technical boxes – a bump in resolution, an incremental change to autofocusing, etc. –. Still, every now and again, someone’s brave enough to add an oddball feature that gets us going. Lately, we’ve been eyeing the possible features in the rumored Fujifilm half-frame digital camera, and I am excited about the rumored diptych feature. This post is for you if you’re unsure why or even what a diptych is.
What the Hell is a “Diptych” Anyway?
“A dip what?” you may ask, but a diptych is simply two side panels that create a singular work. These can convey a theme, idea, or narrative visually, breaking down the work into two panels that can work independently but have an entirely different meaning when paired. The diptych has been around since antiquity, going back to ancient Rome. Many of our associations with diptychs come from many of the religious artworks of the Middle Ages, which often depicted scenes from the Christian Bible (and the rich guy who commissioned the work).
In photography, diptychs work the same way—two side-by-side images come together as a singular work. Diptychs work well to show two opposing ideas or themes by placing two thematically opposing images next to each other. Personally, I love pairing two seemingly unrelated images to highlight a common thread.
All About Expanding Creativity
The beauty of the diptych lies in the way they will push the limits of your creativity. As photographers, exercising your creative muscles and getting outside of your comfort zone is important. As someone who values the process of making images, the diptych allows me to find cohesiveness in my images – whether it’s simply about framing and composition, color, or shooting with a theme in mind. The diptych aims to find ways to convey your theme creatively through two images.
There are no hard and fast rules regarding how you put your pieces together—stack them, display the final images in portrait orientation, get it all in-camera, or edit for your theme in your software of choice. When going through this process, there comes a time where it clicks and you begin to see the world two images at a time.
Do I Need a Special Camera?
In the opening graph of this article, I mentioned that the rumored Fuji half-frame camera largely inspired this post, but there is no gear requirement for making a diptych. That means there are no real barriers to entry other than your creativity and desire to make a composition. While yes, I’m still excited about the idea of having a digital half-frame camera that can produce the desired effect without having to open Photoshop; nothing is stopping you from using what you already own to get out there and make Art (with a big A). And ultimately, that’s what we’re all about here, pushing the art of photography. One image at a time.
Image used with Creative Commons permissions.
