Photo Collage

There are two main types of photo collages: One is where the photos are laid together, side by side or overlapping. The other is where the photos are merged together to create a new image.

1) Traditional photo collage – this is where photos stand alone side by side or are layered with other photos. Photos can be used ‘as is’, say for example a standard print size of 4x6 inches or they can be manually cropped and fitted together.

If you buy a collage frame, it has different size holes to frame each photo. photo collage frame

You will generally get your photos professionally printed to slot into the frame windows (you may need a little cropping to make your photos fit in the slots).

Alternatively the photos can be collaged together in a book or scrapbook form – using real photos and background papers and embellishments.

These can also be generated digitally or online. There are many websites that have software to create your collages digitally and then options for printing. Flickr has some good photo printing ideas. You can create collages in book form, scrapbooks, calendars, and more.

2) The second photo collage is where more than one photos are merged in a digital collage to form a new art piece.

It can be a very poetic form of collage, where image layers are like ghosts with whispered meaning.

To create collages with photo layering you need a software program that allows you manipulate layers, such as Photoshop, Photoshop Elements or Corel Paint Shop Pro.

Designing your photo collage

Once you have decided on your collage format (book, scrapbook, digital collage etc) you must choose which photos to collage. There are a number of ways to do this:
* theme – are you exploring a concept, such as family or happiness? or wanting to record a special event or relationship?
* color – choose photos that have some common color thread or are processed in a way so they blend together well or compliment each other
* size - it is always a good idea to mix photos of images that are detailed with some more general shots.
* what room the collage will be hanging in – is this for the living room or a bedroom, pick photos that match the décor or stand out

Gather the photos together in one place – a photo envelope if printed, a desktop folder if digital. Line the photos up, move them around letting your natural sense of color and balance determine which photo goes where. Study books or online examples of good layout.

You will probably have more photos than you need. Determine which photos are must haves and which are not so important. One photo can serve as your focal image. Think of the others as supporting images that make the focal image pop or carry the story. It may also help to think of a photo collage as a scrapbook without the words. Images can talk and tell a story or of an emotion.

Once the creative choices have been made, then is a simply a process of laying the photos out – into the frame, following the layering techniques in your software program, creating your book etc. until you have a beautiful visual collage.

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