Exploring the Darken Blend Mode in In-Camera Multiple Exposure Photography
Venturing into the woods, I search for captivating patterns, weaving them together into abstract, fantastical realms. Twisted branches intertwine around glowing centers of light, like natural spirals pulling me deeper into a dream-like world. As I spin, capturing the same scene over and over again, the familiar forest transforms—each layer blending into the next, creating spiraling worlds and distorted realities.
It’s still the same old dark woods, but something feels different. The trees shift into mesmerizing shapes, stirring my imagination. The boundaries of reality blur as I get lost in the process, crafting my own universe where fantasy takes root, and the ordinary becomes extraordinary. Here, I’m free to escape into a world of my own making—one where shadows dance, light glimmers, and the everyday becomes a canvas for my wildest dreams.
Note to self: first trials of new experiment, on the right track!
38 Comments
Leave a comment
They’re curiously witchy, very creative.
They might have an eerie feel. That’s why I like them! Thanks!
fascinating
Thanks Betty!
Were beautiful and inspiring.
Thank you Anders!
Very interesting images
Thanks Bruce!
Hi, Are these manipulated in the camera on multiple exposures or in software later?
What device do you use to retain the centre if it is in the camera?
PS Love your Mushrooms
Hi John. These are all created in camera. Post processing is limited to adjusting contrast. I didn’t use any extra device, all shot hand held.
Wow, some beautiful, mesmerising images here. Thank you.
Glad you like them Jenny!
That’s pretty cool. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Grace!
Beautiful
Thanks!
These are very interesting! I love the pattern and the light. Would love to see more!!!!
Thanks Bea! There will be more 😉
I like the kaleidoscope effect in these pics!
Glad you like them Jessica!
Fantastic! Very creative. Thank you for sharing
Thanks Angie!
This series is really wonderful! So creative….Dirk, are these all handheld? Because if so, then they are even more outstanding to get such a symmetrical pattern! Well done!
Thanks Valerie, glad you like them. They are all hand held.
Interesting idea, and imaginative photos! I’ll give this a try.
Thanks! Yes try it, it’s a lot of fun!
Very beautiful! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Nicola!
I love the layered shades of green and the slight Fibonacci effect many of these photos have 💚
Hey Jen, glad you like them!
Wow simply love these images and so refreshingly different….please continue!
Thanks Mike! I will continue!
Amazing effects. In-camera multiple exposure is something I’ve just discovered. Here you have set my juices flowing. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Ray! Multiple exposure is a lot of fun and I really like it. There are many way to use the technique creatively. Wish you a lot of fun at it!
I absolutely love these images, but I would differ on how I would describe them. You use the terms blurred reality, distorted, and dream-like, but in my opinion, they capture another layer of reality. They are highly symbolic of the wood-wide web: The theory that below the surface of every forest and woodland, there exists an intricate network of interconnected roots, fungi, and bacteria working together to link and support the trees and plants in the ecosystem. If this network would appear above ground, it may look (in abstract) much like these images, with the mother tree being the light in the center. I often see the forest in this way.
Hello Donna, love your point of view! You are right it cold be a metaphor for the wood wide web. Thanks for pointing it out to me!
So amazing! I like alle of the photos. And especially I like the light. Are you planning to share some of your techniques in the area of multiple exposure?
Right now I am having such a pleasant time with photographing mushrooms by using your turtorial.
Have fun
Karin
Hello Karin; Thanks for your nice comment. I will create a new class on multiple exposure for forests and trees. But I still have to experiment and work on the techniques before I can create a full tutorial on it. Glad you are enjoying the mushroom class.