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01: Study

Jeff Wall, A Sudden Gust of Wind (after Hokusai) 1993
Transparency in lightbox
229 x 377 cm | 90 3/16 x 148 7/16 in.
Image Courtesy: White Cube

Compositing
Since the early days of photography, artists have sought to push beyond the camera’s documentary function and explore the medium’s capacity for invention. In the 19th century, photographers like Oscar Rejlander and Henry Peach Robinson created composite prints by layering multiple negatives to build theatrical, often allegorical scenes. What began as analog ingenuity has evolved—through the rise of digital tools—into a complex visual language that blurs the line between fact and fiction.


In the realm of staged photography, composition transcends mere arrangement, it becomes a deliberate act of constructing reality. Stephen Shore once remarked, "A photographer solves a picture more than composes one," emphasizing the problem-solving nature of framing and structure . This perspective aligns with the Rule of Thirds, a compositional guideline that divides the frame into nine equal parts, positioning key elements along these lines or their intersections to create balance and visual interest.

In this section, we delve into the compositional strategies that underpin hyperreal imagery, exploring how deliberate framing and structure invite viewers into meticulously constructed worlds.




Jeff Wall – Study for A Sudden Gust of Wind (After Hokusai), 1993



Jeff Wall – Untitled, production photo, A Sudden Gust of Wind, Richmond, B.C., Winter 1993



Valérie Belin, Electra (Lady Stardust) , 2023

Part of her Lady Stardust series, this work features a young woman adorned in distinctive attire, set against a meticulously crafted backdrop. Belin's approach involves a seamless fusion of the living body with inanimate elements, creating a hyperreal image that challenges viewers' perceptions. The series draws inspiration from various sources, including fashion, mythology, and popular culture, resulting in photographs that are both visually captivating and conceptually rich.

Source: IRK Magazine




Karen Knorr, Corridor, Musée Carnavalet, 2007, Fables 2003–2022

They are metaphors for human behaviour along with being sorts of memento mori, symbolising transience. The works also play around with the idea of illusion and reality. Photography in this case wields ability to rejuvenate the dead in these series.

- Karen Knorr, Explores Migrating Fables and Animals in Her Photography, Stir World, 2021




Noèmie Goudal, Les Amants (Cascade), 2009 Image courtesy: Saatchi Gallery



What if the Internet had a body? In his DUMBO studio, artist Daniel Gordon photographs paper collages constructed from found images downloaded from the Web. "I like to think about what I'm doing as an optimistic version of appropriation," says Gordon, who wonders if he can transport digital images into real life by giving them a physical form. The artist's paper tableaus, rich in vibrant colors and vivid patterns, are transformed in the process of making a picture with large format cameras.

Fenella Kernebone speaks in conversation with two of the worlds leading international photographers, Jeff Wall and Thomas Demand. Hear the artists reflect on their practices and the process of putting together a photography exhibition.

Go behind the scenes on Stan Douglas' historical recreation of Penn Station in the first half of 20th century. Produced over a four-day photography shoot in Vancouver, during which over four hundred actors were scanned and re-dressed in one of five hundred unique period costumes, before being posed digitally. The architectural elements were created through an intensive CG post-production process carried out by an Emmy-nominated visual effects studi




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