Walking Together, Apart

a photographic collaboration

If the newsletter is truncated in your email, click on "View entire message" and you will be able to view the entire post

There are many things I love about Substack, but one of them is the growing photography community and how welcoming people were when I first started out. Everyone is kind and truly supportive. Something else I have noticed are the collaborative projects that are happening among the photographers here, not only between photographers but also between photographers and writers. I love it when visuals and words become one powerful piece of art. I love when we get inspired by other people’s work and respond with our own creativity to someone else’s.

I have to admit that collaboration always felt a bit intimidating to me, but it has also been something I have wanted to initiate for a long time. So, when I reached out to Susanne Helmert, the author of the wonderful publication “My Morning Muse”, I was excited when she responded positively to my suggestion to collaborate on a diptych project.

Unfortunately, I got busy with life and put my idea on the back burner for a while, but a couple of weeks ago I reached out to Susanne again and we both began planning on how we wanted to go about a collaboration. The reason I reached out to Susanne is not only because I am a fan of her work, or because she is German like me, but also because both of us walk our dogs almost every morning - she in Germany, I in the US - and we often take photographs while doing so. So, that’s how the idea of creating diptychs from photographs of our walks came into my head.

Susanne and I each took a set of photographs during a walk and then sent the other 20 images. Then we each went on another walk and took images in response to the ones the other had sent. When both had our two sets of approximately twenty images, we sat down independently to put them together as diptychs. We allowed each other to rotate or crop the images slightly as needed but otherwise no other editing took place. Susanne posted the results of hers in her recent post that came out on Thursday, and you can see my creations here today.

I love every single one that Susanne created, and I hope you enjoy looking at mine today.

Susanne came up with some questions that we both answered as well, and I am sharing her answers to the questions below. You can read mine in her post.

Was the process of creating these diptychs any different for you using my photographs?

I don’t create diptychs very often, but when I do, I tend to combine photos that show the same subject from different perspectives, or photos that complement each other in mood or feel. That is what I tried to do with the nature photographs you sent me - I tried to make images that convey a similar atmosphere.

Did my photography influence you in any way while you were out there trying to find “responses”?

My approach that day was a mix of what I usually do - walking and paying attention to my surroundings, photographing what draws me in - and looking for subjects or motifs that could serve as a reply or match to your photos.

I remember one image in particular that was directly influenced by your work: you had sent two photos of grasses that appeared slightly blurry as if taken with a slower shutter speed. I remember intentionally choosing a slower shutter for my photo too, so it would better complement yours. But overall, I tried to stay true to my own way of seeing and photographing.

Did you take photos you wouldn’t have made otherwise?

Yes and no. I was still drawn to the same things, but I photographed some subjects from a different angle or composed them differently than I might have otherwise. For example, you shared a photo with the top of a building peeking into the corner of the frame. That particular image inspired me to find subjects that would look like an extension of the building. These were photos I probably wouldn’t have made otherwise.

---

Were there any unexpected surprises or other takeaways for you?

There are two diptychs I created that really surprised me because I had not planned or foreseen how well they would turn out. The photos I used for the diptychs were photos I made because I was drawn into the scene and to what I saw and not because I thought they were good matches for your photos. It wasn’t until I saw them side by side on the screen that I realized how well they worked together. I have no idea whether my subconscious already sensed the connection, but those pairings truly surprised me.

My takeaway?

This was fun! I am so glad we did this!

Collaborations are so great. They’re refreshing and inspiring. They push us to think differently and invite us to play, both of which can be incredibly enriching for our artistic practice. Collaborations are a wonderful way to connect and create with other artists, and they can even help us loosen up when we feel stuck.

---

Now that I have done a collaboration, I am ready for another one. I enjoyed it so much. If anyone has an idea and is interested, send me a message. Though I will never tire of creating diptychs, I am open to something completely different as well.

And now I would like to wish everyone a Happy Easter!

---

For people who would like to know which photo was taken by who:

Diptych 1: Manuela left - Susanne right

Diptych 2: Manuela top - Susanne bottom

Diptych 3: Manuela left - Susanne right

Diptych 4: Manuela left - Susanne right

Diptych 5: Manuela top - Susanne bottom

Diptych 6: Manuela right - Susanne left

Diptych 7: Manuela top - Susanne bottom

Diptych 8: Manuela top - Susanne bottom

Diptych 9: Manuela left - Susanne right

Diptych 10: Manuela top - Susanne bottom

---

Items Of Note

1. Upcoming Workshop With LA Photo Center

Join me for a three week long online workshop: “Diptychs, Triptychs and Beyond: Crafting Visual Narratives Through Image Pairing” starts Tuesday, April 29!

Sign up via LA Photo Center! There are still a couple of spots left.

2. Creative Hour On Zoom for paid subscribers

Join us from anywhere for this hour (or two) of sharing images and exchanging ideas.

Out next session is scheduled for Saturday, April 26, 11 am CST.

I started hosting this lovely group of people because we enjoy sharing our work in progress and receiving suggestions and feedback. We also enjoy connecting over Zoom because it allows people from all over the country and world to participate.

We believe that connecting and sharing is one of the things that help us thrive as an artist, and we invite anyone to join who would either like to simply listen in, or bring some work to share. This is a casual, non-pressure environment and our time together always leaves me inspired and refreshed. Paid subscribers will receive the Zoom link a few days before our meeting.