Photographic Collages Capture The Passage Of Time In A Single Image

Photographer Fong Qi Wei has used an unusual technique for capturing the passage of time in a photograph—and it doesn't involve long-exposure. Working in the medium of print photographs he knows that time can't be shown the way it appears in the moving image but, he says, "I wanted to break out of this restriction of a single slice of time in photography."

For his series Time Is A Dimension, which features landscapes and cityscapes shot at sunset or sunrise,he invented a technique that utilizes digital photography and digital post-production processes to create sliced versions of an image which detail how the picture changes over a time period of 2 to 4 hours.The resulting collage means that while the subject of the picture is kept the same, layers and concentric circles show day passing into night, highlighting the changing light but also creating striking images. It's an aesthetic that was first explored in 2009 by artist Xárene Eskandar, in a series of images and videos called Waters.

"We often remember a sequence of events rather than a still frame full of details." Qi Wei says about his photos. "In this series, I strive to capture both details and also a sequence of time in a single 2 dimensional canvas. I hope it gives you pause and reconsider what you experience versus what you shoot with your next camera phone."

You can check out some of his compositions below and head to his site for more details.

Photo credit: Fong Qi Wei

[via Colossal]

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