Looking for a fresh way to show off your photographs?
The first time I saw the word triptych it looked like a word that belonged in Journey to the Center of the Earth – like it should be a prehistoric fossil word or something. But really, if you break down the word you see TRI – which we all know means three – and ptych.
Since I’m white & nerdy, I looked it up. It comes from the Greek word ptyche – which means fold.
A triptych (“trip-tick”), used modernly, is simply three images used in composite on a single image.
Here, sweet Ella was posing with her parasol when the wind picked up and nearly took this sweet girl with it. The story needs all three frames to tell the story and catch her expressions.
18 month old Sam and I played “Where is _____ ?” during his photo session and this little charmer had the best expressions. Without the others, a single photo of him pointing loses the context of the moment.
Triptychs can also be used to show progression. A growing plant, a growing child, steps in a process, or like this one – the building excitement of a fireworks show.
If you’ve seen an image with a tree in all four seasons, you’ve seen a quadtych (a 4-fold image) and many of us use diptychs ( a 2-fold image) without even realizing it.
Have you ever used a triptych to tell a story with your photos?
white and nerdy…AWESOME.
Yes! Just did this today on my motherhood post. Well, my 3 photos were lined up vertically. Does that count?
Beautiful blog! I love the colors and all the beautiful photographs.
http://www.birdietobe.blogspot.com
I did here to show how Mia minded her own business by herself, despite having 3 other cousins to play with
http://adaywithlilmama.blogspot.com/2011/05/family-reunion-mini-me-cousins.html
No I have never tried this but now I think I will.!!! Really love the first triptyck!!
Have a great week!!!
Yes, but the alignment of them didn’t flow as smoothly as yours. Hmmm. Need to work on that.
I did a triptych with my yellow lab – 6 weeks, 6 months and 1 year sitting on my stairs. It was really cute and a great way to see the “awkward” phase in a dog. hahaha
The best part of the white & nerdy video is Donny Osmond getting funky with his bad self. That is full of win right there.
You know I have seen them and love them but- der! I never thought to try it. Maybe because I don’t blog. Darcy, how do you do this in frames and albums? I mean, I’m sure I could figure it out. But how do YOU do it and sell it to your clients?
I create images like those above – which are actual client images – and offer them in print sizes appropriate for the 3 images. This is often 10×20 inches or 20×30 inches. We once did 8 images on a 5×30. It’s a beautiful way to display the whole story.
I used a triptych of my son pulling up to standing in his baby book.
I loved learning this. Did not know the proper word, triptych!
I didn’t know that was the word for it. I have been playing around with them lately. I love it when I see the story unfold in pictures.
Yes, I make and love triptychs. I think viewers who gaze upon them also love triptychs. at least appreciate them.
gorgeous! I love the little boy pointing – I need to try this with my 22-month-old twins
so that someone is at least looking in one of the pics!
I super heart diptychs and triptychs. Yours are, of course, lovely, Darcy!
Totally in the same boat with White and Nerdy. Although you really have to watch the green screen version with Donny Osmond (if you haven’t). He absolutely kills me in that one! http://youtu.be/GWc6QQ9JlMc
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA That is the best Dianne! Donny Osmond was the best of the whole video, that is a riot with the green screen.
I howled and howled and had tears running down my cheeks.
So, so funny!
Thanks for the link, Dianne!
hehe. that video was too funny!!
Darcy — thanks for this! First, because I had NO CLUE how to propery pronounce triptych…. hehe. Oh, I was off. Glad I never had to say it out loud to anyone who would have known better… I hope! Then also because I’ve been on a “do my photos tell a story?” kick… and I’m thinking that with a triptych I could “see” it more!
Great ideas – and photos, too. Thank you!
I don’t recall if I’ve done that… but I certainly will now.
I love your pictures and the stories they tell.
And your word nerdiness. A girl after my own heart!
My friend’s father, Milton Rogovin, wrote a book called Triptychs: Buffalo’s Lower West Side Revisited. He followed families over time (pictures taken in the 70s, 80s & 90s). It is interesting to see how people age, families change (grow or lose members) as time passes. Here’s a link: http://www.miltonrogovin.com/photoseries/westsidetriptych.html
Just found you via A Beach Cottage -love this ‘tri-tip’! Excited to link up on Tuesday
XOL
Hi- just found your blog, whilst having a lovely sunday afternoon moment to myself after bathing kids, getting 3 uniforms ready for tomorrow and putting on *one* more load of washing!!
So…glass of wine in hand…i am going to have a wee look back over your posts.
Your two little ones are gorgeous in these tryiptychs!!
Our eldest is an Ella too!
I love the pointing photos and you are so right- the triptych makes this a story!
Melissa…
Those little ones are cuteness – but they’re not mine. They’re clients of mine that I’ve been lucky enough to hang out with a couple times. I’d totally keep ‘em but their mommies would miss ‘em!
Welcome to m3b – great to have you!
Hey Darcy – I didn’t want to put this down on the other post because it’s old news, and I didn’t want you to think I was still trying to enter the contest (hehe).. but I wanted to let you know that I decided to take advantage of the coupon code and ordered a canvas gallery wrap from the APC folks in your Sweet Shot Tuesday post a few weeks back and try them out.
I. LOVE. IT.
I just wanted to say thanks for turning me on to them and I’ll be using them for my client gallery wrap products from here on out.
Yes! I love them, but I didn’t know there was such a formal word for it. I feel so smart now! I did one with lights this last Christmas which was interesting because they weren’t lights at all when you got up close to them (they just look like it with the light reflecting off of them). My favorite one is of my 2 year old son playing catch in our kitchen. The pictures themselves are awful from the reflections on the glass doors he’s standing in front of, but I love the movements and expressions on his face! You can check it out here: http://stanwoodtoseoul.blogspot.com/2011/12/up-for-game-of-catch.html
Learned something new – didn’t realize there was an actual name for this!