Virtually all the images used in the construction of the original photomontages on this website have been extracted from photographs taken by the author at locations in the UK (recently Brighton and Hove) and throughout the world over the past fifteen years. In some instances, images have been sourced from photographs on the internet or in the public domain, and incorporated in the photomontages in unrecognisable contexts.
The technical process of composing photomontages from different source material has been made relatively easy by modern digital software, combined with ever-improving computer hardware. All the photomontages on these pages were produced using Affinity Photo on an iPad Pro. Whatever the quality of the software and hardware, it is of no assistance in the task of interpreting fictional scenes prior to their rendering as ‘Images Inspired by Fiction’ (discussed here). These photomontages can only approximate to the imagery visualised by the readers (and writers) of the text.
Images Inspired by Fiction: Paradise Block
Example 1: Paradise Block
Original photograph of block of flats in Hove – ‘Goodwood Court’ – used as the background layer in photo editing software. Changes began with cropping, removal of cars in front of the building, and trees to the side.
Numerous further changes were made to the background layer, including HSL, colour, and overall brightness/contrast; the effects of wear and deterioration were achieved by manipulating and changing areas of pixels by hand. The rest of the image was built up in separate layers.
Example 2: The Brass Cross
Original photograph of pub in Hove – ‘The Connaught’ – used as the background layer. This photomontage was much more complex to construct, having in effect two background layers – a replacement sky in addition to the pub itself.
The pub was not a great photo to begin with. Changes to this layer included lens correction, removal of cars from in front of the building, other cosmetic changes, and adjustments to HSL, colour, brightness and contrast, etc. The speckled effect of the background layer representing the sky was achieved by adapting an original photograph of the inside of a lily. The rodent was adapted from an image found on the internet. Numerous changes were made by hand to achieve the final ‘murky grey and pink’ speckled effect.