Photomontages

Original Definition Photomontage is the process and the result of making a composite photograph by cutting,gluing, rearranging and overlapping two or more photographs into a new image. Sometimes the resulting composite image was photographed so that a final image appeared as a seamless photographic print. Here are two examples from around 1857 - Fading away by Henry Peach Robinson and The Two Ways of Life by Oscar Reilander

Now done  through image-editing software, referred to by professionals as "compositing", and in casual usage is often called "photoshopping", due to the software often used. Commonly used in Graphic Art and Professional Photographers' Studios to produce book covers, film posters etc or to generate interesting family or wedding portfolios.

 Different types of Montages - first Hockney type multiple images on the same 'Canvas'

Multiple images taken at the same point and then combined with layer masks etc

 Using special software eg Andrea Mosaic where you can upload an image and give the software access to your image library and it will create your chosen image using tiny versions of your library images. Link http://www.andreaplanet.com/andreamosaic/ 

 Montage of person on background very popular with some in the amateur photographic circles and hated by others - your choice - certainly some work better than others

 Sometimes images that appear composites are not as in the case of Ian Munro's images

Copying Ideas or Plagiarism - a narrow gap

 Where Montage should not be used. This was the winning picture that had to be disqualified from the Landscape Photographer of the year as the author admitted to adding a different sky

 What to do about it?? - some competitions now require RAW files to be submitted before acceptance as in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year