![Pair of images with a garden and a poppy with a bee](https://i0.wp.com/www.toonsarah-travels.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/001-feature-Stokesay-1.jpg?resize=1140%2C579&ssl=1)
Gallery: perfect (but contrasting) pairs
The greater the contrast, the greater the potential. Great
Carl Jung
energy only comes from a correspondingly great tension of opposites.
Photography is all about contrasts of course. Without those variations in lightness and darkness our images would be dull and flat. Whether contrasting black and white in monochrome shots, or harmonising and contrasting the shades in our colour shots, effective contrast is key to a good result.
But the term can also relate to our choice of subject matter. Do we go in close or step back? Do we look for a sense of history or modernity? Is it all about the place or the people? And so on.
According to Londonβs Tate Gallery, a βdiptych is an artwork consisting of two painted or carved panelsβ. We can easily extend that to photography, by pairing two photos rather than painted or carved panels. Other definitions often insist that the two panels be hinged or attached in some other way. The hinge is difficult to recreate on a webpage, but we can certainly create a sort of virtual hinge. That is, we can create a relationship between the two images that make up our diptych.
This is exactly the challenge set us by ElizabethΒ of Albatz Travel Adventures. She reminds us that βto make a successful pairing there should be several things in common, and something very different, contrastingβ. Let me see what I can find β¦
My feature photo was taken at Stokesay Castle in Shropshire, England, pairing a general view of the lovely cottage garden with a shot of an individual poppy. All my pairs were combined using the online collage maker, BeFunky.
I have been having some issues with comments on my blog. If you’re unable to comment on the website you should find it possible using the Reader. I’d be grateful if you could let me know about any issues as I’m trying to get to the bottom of them!
A pair from Yorkshire, England
![Pair of images with a landscape with drystone walls and a sheep](https://i0.wp.com/www.toonsarah-travels.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Swaledale.jpg?resize=960%2C491&ssl=1)
On the left, the typical landscape of the Dales, and on the right, one of the many sheep that graze these hills and help to shape that landscape.
A pair from Liverpool, England
![Pair of images with a small house and a sculpture of four men walking](https://i0.wp.com/www.toonsarah-travels.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Liverpool.jpg?resize=960%2C484&ssl=1)
On the left, Paul McCartneyβs childhood home. And on the right, what he was to grow up to become, represented by a sculpture on the cityβs waterfront.
A pair from KvalΓΈya island, Norway
![Pair of images with a rocky coastline and seaweed](https://i0.wp.com/www.toonsarah-travels.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Norway.jpg?resize=960%2C489&ssl=1)
A simple pairing of seaweed covered rocks on the beach at Tromvik and a close-up look at one of those rocks.
A pair from Sofia, Bulgaria
![Pair of images with a gold dome topped with a cross and a cathedral interior full of icons](https://i0.wp.com/www.toonsarah-travels.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Sofia.jpg?resize=960%2C488&ssl=1)
An inside / outside pairing, with on the left the golden dome of St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and on the right a shot of the more sombre but richly decorated interior.
A pair from Seville, Spain
![Pair of images with a city view and doll dressed in bull fighter's costume](https://i0.wp.com/www.toonsarah-travels.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Seville.jpg?resize=960%2C485&ssl=1)
On the left, a distant view of La Maestranza, the cityβs bullring (taken from the cathedral bell tower). And on the right, a toy matador for sale in a souvenir shop.
A pair from Tirana, Albania
![Pair of images with a house and a museum display of clothing and a photo](https://i0.wp.com/www.toonsarah-travels.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Tirana.jpg?resize=960%2C488&ssl=1)
On the left the former home of dictator Enver Hoxha. And on the right a display from BunkβArt 2, the former bunker of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It is now devoted to a museum about the countryβs secret police, the Sigurimi, under Hoxha’s regime. The display lists all those who died while imprisoned for political reasons.
A pair from New Mexico
![Pair of images with signs and dried chillies](https://i0.wp.com/www.toonsarah-travels.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/New-Mexico.jpg?resize=960%2C488&ssl=1)
On the left a sign spotted in ChimayΓ³, and on the right chillies drying outside a shop in Albuquerque. The state is obsessed with them!
A pair from Cartagena in Colombia
![Pair of images with a traditional and more modern statue](https://i0.wp.com/www.toonsarah-travels.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Cartagena.jpg?resize=960%2C491&ssl=1)
On the left a statue of Christopher Columbus, who βdiscoveredβ the Americas, a discovery that led to the colonisation of much of the continent by Spain and other European powers. And on the right a statue of San Pedro Claver, who fought for the welfare of the slaves employed by the Spanish to build and run their city.
A pair from Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
![Pair of images with waterfalls](https://i0.wp.com/www.toonsarah-travels.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Victoria.jpg?resize=960%2C491&ssl=1)
On the left a shot taken as close to the falls as we were able to get, given the large amount of spray. And on the right a view of the falls from above, taken on a helicopter ride. Only the latter can give you a true sense of the scale (look at the traffic on the road and bridge in the foreground).
A pair from Phnom Penh, Cambodia
![Pair of images with a cell containing a bed and a man holding a book](https://i0.wp.com/www.toonsarah-travels.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Tuol-Sleng.jpg?resize=960%2C488&ssl=1)
On the left a cell at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in what was once Security Prison 21 or S-21. Between 1976 to 1979 an estimated 20,000 people were imprisoned here to be interrogated, tortured and then executed. On the right is Chum Mey, one of the handful of prisoners who had escaped being killed at the point when Tuol Sleng was liberated. He is posing with the book he wrote about his experiences.
A pair from North Korea
![Pair of images with statues of two men and a waterfall](https://i0.wp.com/www.toonsarah-travels.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/N-Korea.jpg?resize=960%2C485&ssl=1)
Contrasting an image we all associate with that country, statues of the βDear Leadersβ, with one that we perhaps donβt, its stunning landscapes. This is Rimyongsu Falls in the north of the country.
![Stone houses and a tall bell tower](https://i0.wp.com/www.toonsarah-travels.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/001-feature-02-065-P1080390-Split-1.jpg?resize=75%2C75&ssl=1)
![Two giraffes eating](https://i0.wp.com/www.toonsarah-travels.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/001-feature-Photo-04-07-2018-11-15-29.jpg?resize=75%2C75&ssl=1)
45 Comments
Leanne Cole
These are fantastic Sarah, I love the Beatles one, that sculpture is incredible. I really like the detail shot and then the distance one.
Toonsarah
Thanks so much Leanne π That Beatles sculpture is one of the iconic sights in Liverpool!
Annie Berger
Inspired pairings, Sarah. The Tuol Sleng photos were a chilling reminder of what transpired in Cambodia. However, your feature shot was joyful.
Annie B
Toonsarah
Thank you Annie π You’re so right about Cambodia. I thought about pairing Tuol Sleng with the Cambodia of today but this seemed more respectful.
equinoxio21
Pairs now? An interesting concept. Filed for further experiments. Thank you.
Toonsarah
Credit for the concept goes entirely to PR who set this challenge, but I had great fun responding to it and recommend the experiment π
equinoxio21
I will keep it mind in a future selection of pix for a post. Thank you both.
Leya
Perfect pairs indeed, Sarah! This is such an enjoyable post – thought provoking and clever.
Toonsarah
Thanks so much Ann-Christine, I’m really pleased you liked it π
JohnRH
Great pairs. Impressive falls, and interesting contrasts in North Korea. BIG statues!
Toonsarah
Thank you John – those statues are HUGE!
thehungrytravellers.blog
Brilliant concept, even by your standards this one must have taken a considerable thought and time commitment to put together
Toonsarah
Well, the concept isn’t my own so I take no credit for that! This is just my slant on it π I guess it took a while to pull together but probably about average for me tbh! Glad you liked it π
Sofia Alves
I love your selection of more thought provoking pairs, those worked for me like no other pairing in this challenge. Each paired photo feels more like a conclusion of the other, if this makes any sense. It’s a great post, Sarah!
Toonsarah
Thank you so much Sofia, that’s fantastic feedback ππ
grandmisadventures
I really love your pairs of a bigger picture and a smaller detail from the same place π
Toonsarah
Thank you Meg π I do tend to take both wider and detail shots of a place so I had a few to choose from for this challenge!
Teresa
This is varied and awesome take on the topic. I love your explanation about your choices which make me understand more about your travels and about your personal view on taking photographs.
Toonsarah
Thanks so much Teresa, I’m really pleased you found the explanations interesting π
Teresa
I always do. The reason why I love blogging. π
photobyjohnbo
Sarah, you’ve included a wide variety of pairings, but of all the ones you have, I like the views from Liverpool and Yorkshire. I’ll give an honorable mention to the New Mexico chilies. Having spent much time there, I know the truth of your statement about the state being obsessed with those hot peppers, especially Hatch. π
Toonsarah
Thank you John π We enjoyed the food in New Mexico a lot!
EgΓdio
Great post, Sarah! The photos are beautiful. I really liked the falls. What beautiful images!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you so much π Victoria Falls are truly spectacular but hard to do justice to in a photograph!
Sue
Oh, what a fab selection of pairs, Sarah! I enjoyed the brief stories they told of places you have visited. I have been unable to comment on your site via the reader for yonks, and am hoping the comments via the website are still workingβ¦Sue J
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Sue π You’re the second person to pick up on the stories told by my pairs and I love that way of looking at them! Yes, your comment via the website worked fine, which is odd as I’m still completely unable to reply that way – I have to use the dashboard π
margaret21
This is cleverly done. It’s a tricky challenge – but you dunnit!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Margaret, I’m chuffed you think so π
norasphotos4u
Your pairs are wonderful!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Nora π
kzmcb
A great post, showing many things I know about and many I do not – very educational.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you – I always enjoy learning something from the blog posts I read, so I’m pleased you did too!
Anne Sandler
Wonderful post for this challenge Sarah! I also liked your interpretation of the challenge.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Anne, I’m glad you liked my take on this π
Anonymous
I love your photos – as always. I also do a lot of collages using an old program called Picasa. I do a lot comparing things the way they were with the way things are now. Such as my college dorm on one side, and on the other a photo of the parking lot that is now where it was. So most of your collages are too disparate for me. The Victoria Falls one and the one with the seaweed are y favorites. (grandma Rosalie)
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Rosalie π I’ve used Picasa in the past too, although not recently. Glad you liked the falls photos and the seaweed!
Anabel @ The Glasgow Gallivanter
Intriguing pairings! My favourite is possibly the simplest, the rocks and seaweed – it could be Scotland. Commenting directly on your website, Anabel.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Anabel π The landscape of that island did have quite a bit in common with what I’ve seen of parts of Scotland, but colder! And thanks for letting me know you were able to comment on the website. That’s good to hear, but I still can’t unfortunately π I’m having to use the dashboard to reply to comments while using the website to like them!!
Anabel @ The Glasgow Gallivanter
WordPress never fails to disappoint! Thereβs always something (web again).
Sarah Wilkie
I just cleared my caches and it worked OK briefly but after one successful comment the problem kicked in again π
Anabel @ The Glasgow Gallivanter
βΉοΈ
Albatz Travel Adventures
Wonderful selection of pairs. Although I have been putting together diptychs and triptychs for a long time (my first was in 2007) I learned several things from your post. One was the ‘why’ that makes contrasts thrilling; the other is that almost all your pairs tell a very ‘short story’ about a place which is another thing that makes pairs interesting. Also I am always on the lookout for great apps and will have to try BeFunky. So thank you for your post, a wonderful contrasting compliment to mine!
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Elizabeth π I love the idea that my pairs told a short story for you! It was such a fun challenge, thank you for coming up with the idea!
Tina Schell
One of my favorites of your many beautiful posts Sarah, great choices perfectly paired.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Tina π I had fun pulling this one together! Can I ask if you commented via the Reader or directly on my site, as I’m having some problems with comments at the moment?