Time out for a little photographic 'how-to'...

Of course, I'll get back to the last few days of the India Project soon.  But just to add a little variety...


One of my favorite internet haunts is photojojo.com: basically an idea engine for all things photography related.  A number of the ideas for my recent photo projects have come from the site in one way or another (such as the Andy Warhol inspired Kodi print and the reusable family shopping bags).  They're looking for new, fresh and fun ideas for DIY photo projects and - well, let's be honest here - who better than me to help out!?  So here it goes: my attempt at a photojojo DIY project intro!


(Disclaimer: Okay, folks...I'm a landscape photographer, not a studio girl.  I'm doing my best!)
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If you're anything like us, you've amassed quite a collection of spare photographs over the years.  You know, those prints that didn't quite make the cut for the album or frame gallery - ones with too much sky, a little out of focus or perhaps just the third or fourth copy you didn't mean to order but somehow made it home anyway.  Letting go of these less-than-stellar photos can be hard – after all, they have some value, right?  
Wouldn't it be great if we could find some way to make these photos into something other than volume in a landfill?


The work of Raleigh-based artist and landscape architect Scott Hazard gave us some inspiration for a way to re-purpose some of these lost photos, and get out a little of that frustrated need for destruction in the process!  His work utilizes layers of printed photographs with meticulously torn, concentric shapes to create new photographic interest: holes in the sky, plumes of smoke and mysterious openings in brick walls.  Hazard's technique can take an otherwise uninteresting photograph and turn it into a 3-d art piece worthy of a spot on your display shelf.


Not to mention that there are few things more deeply gratifying than ripping, tearing and peeling in the name of progress!


All you need to get started is a pile of photos, some tape and one very sharp blade…

Amassing the Goods: a cutting mat, double sided craft tape, a craft blade, straight edge and that magical material known far-and-wide as 'fun foam' (we used the kind with the sticky already on one side!)

Begin by using the blade to 'dot-in' an outline of your hole.  Don't cut it out - we're going to tear it with our fingers.  The dots just give us a good guide that keeps us from going too far.  Then use the blade to cut an X out of the hole to give our eager little fingers the access they need.  Repeat for each photo, creating a slightly smaller hole each time.  

  

Trace your holes onto the foam sheets and cut out a hole about 1/8" bigger than the one you've torn.  Stick each photo to a sheet of foam, then using the double-sided tape, stick each photo layer to the previous one.  

Viola!  It's a complete piece.  This example uses 5 different photos, each with a different sky color. If you have a shadow-box frame, it would be perfect.  Otherwise, this simple business card holder works well.