Photographer Research - Tommy Ingberg

I have chosen this photographer because I think he approaches Photomontage in a unique and exciting way. His work consists of both location shoots and studio shoots, this is a great technique as it allows him to explore the different ways in which he can combine his pictures together when editing them. As I looked at more and more of his work, I noticed how most of his work contain similar backgrounds; grey clouds. This is almost like he is putting his signature on his work, making it even more unique.

This picture shows the subject trying to hold up rocks. This is physically impossible - situations like this are consistent in this photographer's work, he produces unrealistic pictures. This ensures that is work is unpredictable and exciting,

The head of the subject has been replaced with balloons. It isn't unusual for Ingberg to omit the faces/heads of his subjects. I think he does this so that his viewers will not focus on the individual but rather the situation he is in. In this particular picture, the individual is 'trapped', he cannot fly because he is tied to a rock but he cannot come back down as the balloons are trying to lift him off the ground.

Unlike the other pictures, this one does not contain a human being, the photographer has deliberately left one out so the viewer is able to concentrate on the entrance to the subway. The background is still the same as most of his other pictures; although it doesn't include an individual, it's still very typical of his work solely because of the black and white tone and the grey clouds found in the background.

Once again, the grey clouds are used in the background. This picture is symbolic; it illustrates how individuals copy other and dress in the same way so that they may fit in. Moreover, we can see someone 'tearing up' one of the individuals, this represents those who do not conform to the norms of society.

In conclusion, Ingberg's techniques when looking at Photomontage is rare and exciting. I really like how his pictures have hidden meanings, this engages his viewer and gets them to look beyond the pictures they are being presented with. Although, his work consists of similar elements (similar backgrounds and tone), they are all extremely different due to the context of each picture. Ingberg has amazing ideas on how to turn his views on certain topics into works of art, portraying his beliefs and challenging his viewers to explore the different layers to his pictures.

I have been greatly influenced by his pictures. I think his technique of combining location and studio shoots are a great way of creating unrealistic pictures which symbolises different situations we can find ourselves in. This allows the viewers to relate to his pictures without relating to the particular individuals in his work, which is common with other photographers. As I mentioned above, he ensures this by omitting the individual's faces and heads. In the future, I would like to also combine pictures I take on location with pictures I take in the studio to see what I could produce.

This picture of mine was influence by this photographer; the face of my subject is hidden. This is a technique that Ingberg has used in mostly all of his photographs. This has allowed me to ensure that the viewer focuses on the difference in the size of the hand and my subject rather than her face or facial expressions.

To summarise, I think this photographer's work is absolutely amazing. He uses a variety of techniques, making his work extremely similar but yet so different that we are not able to predict what he's going to do next. This adds to the mystery of his photographs.