What are diptych selfies and why

do so many photographers enjoy

making diptych photography?
Ø The diptych—two images
combined into a single
frame or presented
together—originated in
art as a drawing or
painting in two parts.
Ø The format of the pictures
was typically landscape
or portrait, usually the
same size.
Ø Pronounced "dip-tick," the
word comes from the Greek
root "dis," meaning two, and
"ptykhe," meaning fold, and
was the name of the folding
writing tablets used in
Roman times.
Ø Two boards, most commonly
wood, but also bone or metal,
were hinged together, the
inner faces covered with a
layer of wax that could be
inscribed.
Ø As in many forms of artistic
expression derived from art of
the past, photography adopted
the process of the diptych for our
own artistic medium.
Ø In photography, the diptych has
become a popular format where
pairs of portraits, images or
themed pictures are used
together to complement one
another.
Ø For the photographic
diptych format to work,
there should be some
commonality between the
pictures in the image.
Ø They should share some
aesthetic, subject, color,
theme or form.
• A common colour thread

• One wide shot and one close-up

• Similar shapes

• Portrait shoots, especially

valuable in couple shoots
Ø Thematic connection

Ø
The same shot at varying
times, like day and night, or
winter and spring
 Ø Play with photo ratios and with
placement of photos.

Ø The diptych doesn’t need to be

side by side or equal ratios,
This photograph has a ratio of though this can be a good place
to start.
2/3 to 1/3, due to the horizontal
space that each takes up across
the length of the frame.

The eyeball has the same ratio,

but it is measured vertically.
 Ø Photography is visual
communication, our way of
seeing the world around us
through our lens, and sharing its
stories, ideas and feelings
through our images.
Ø A diptych is an additional
creative tool, post-shoot, to help
us photographers tell an
impactful story.

Objects can be symbolic of you as a person, such as the flame over the female body (left) or the
heart-rate tape (right). These inanimate objects “play into” the deeper meaning of the image,
when placed near the arm.
What stories are these diptychs suggesting because the two photos are positioned side by side?
1. Using a smart phone, a digital SLR (or equivalent) take a series of self portraits
that features your whole self or simply one body part.
2. Use the background and lighting condition to set the mood.
3. Use wardrobe and props to highlight your personality.
4. Choose the best two images to present together as a DIPTYCH, and use a
collage-making app to create the finished artwork.
5. Submit to the submission drop-box for this assignment AND make it your
profile pic for this class. (10 marks)

6. In the comment box of the submission folder write 3-5 sentences describing
the following... (5 marks)
location / photographer assistants / personal experiences
lighting conditions / camera angles / artistic merits
technical processes used (eg. software / app / web-sites)
challenges / triumphs endured during the shoot