Dramatic double exposures that blend portraiture and nature photography

Sarah Maloy is Shutterstock’s content marketing manager. She’s also an entertainment writer, social media nerd, and chronic binge-watcher. This post was originally published on the Shutterstock blog and has been reprinted with permission.

Multiple exposures are created when a photographer opens the camera shutter more than once, exposing the film multiple times — usually to two or more images. A similar effect can also be achieved in Photoshop, when an artist superimposes multiple images to create a single composite photo. The resulting visual often has a ghostlike effect, with different levels of opacity creating layers within the image.

 Victor Tongdee and SSokolov both use this transparency effect to blend portraits with photos of nature to create something completely new. Some of the resulting images are eerie, others are inspirational, and a few just add texture and depth to an otherwise simple portrait. Check out seven of our favorites below.

Spooky double exposure of man and black lake | SSokolov

Double exposure photo of woman blended with palm tree | Victor Tongdee

Portrait of a girl combined with a photo of a snowy mountain | Victor Tongdee

Double exposure of young woman and the city | Victor Tongdee

Double exposure portrait of a woman and a lake surrounded by mountains | Victor Tongdee

Abstract double exposure portrait of woman in forest | SSokolov

Double exposure portrait of a woman combined with nature | Victor Tongdee