Double exposure photos by Christoffer Relander

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Back in childhood Christoffer Relander noticed how extraordinary the beauty of nature is: the branches of trees can look like the hands of an old man, and the grass, bent by the wind, like the hair of a beautiful nymph. As a child, the photographer simply rejoiced at such coincidences that carried him into the world of fairy tales, and when he grew up, he realized that man is a part of nature, therefore he was carried away by creating pictures with double exposure, combining portraits of people with photographs of plants into one whole.

Christoffer Rälander lives and works in Rosenborg (Finland). He was fond of art, in all its forms, from an early age, which prompted him to become a graphic designer, but photography is a relatively fresh hobby. According to Kristoffer, he is a self-taught photographer, and he took his first picture quite recently, only in 2009. Among his works, black and white photographs with double or even triple exposures stand out. Previously, this effect was achieved by taking multiple shots on the same piece of film. Now, with the advent of digital photographs, it is impossible to mechanically join two frames, but there are programs that allow you to achieve this effect.

The photographer works with a Nikon SLR camera and does not hide the fact that the images are processed in graphic editors, but this adjustment is so insignificant that it cannot be argued that the photos were taken using Photoshop. For Kristoffer, it is very important to take a high-quality picture from the beginning, so that later not to subject it to correction, but only to combine it with another photo. Undoubtedly, you can take any photos you like and combine them into one, but it would be too simple, and therefore not interesting. For his favorite series of photographs that unite man and nature, Relander does not arrange photo shoots, does not look for models or beautiful places. Inspiration and a new idea for a photo come by themselves: sometimes it's a field with dried grass, and sometimes a girl with a funny haircut. The photographer knows that if one of the two parts necessary for the picture is found, the second will not take long. Unfortunately, such an attitude towards their photography leads to the fact that new images from this series may not appear for three months. On the other hand, the author believes that art cannot be customized, and photographs are born when the time comes.

Becoming a professional photographer is Kristoffer Rälander's dream. He is increasingly trying to work as a non-profit photographer, shooting weddings, festivals and portraits. The author publishes the most successful pictures on his website, and a series of photographs with double exposure takes the main place in his portfolio.