I do not recall where I learned this technique. The process is complicated and takes planning. I used a 100mm lens on my Olympus OM-1 [an old manual 35mm film camera]. I still have the camera and several lenses!

I started by marking my tripod’s panning base with marks starting dead center, then two to the left and two to the right, framing carefully to try and avoid too much frame overlap and avoiding gaps. For the Trees image, I started framing on what is the 4th strip of film. I carefully tilted the tripod up, watching through the viewfinder to avoid gaps and overlaps. I then made 5 exposures, moving from left to right. Tilted the camera down and repeated the process until I reached the bottom right frame.

The image was accepted into one of the San Diego Art Institute’s monthly gallery shows. When I went to view the show, I got to where the image was hanging. A father and his young son were looking at the photo, and the son asked his dad how the image was made. The father said that the photographer used an overlay and that he could do the same thing if he cared enough to use that gimmick. I kept my mouth shut!

The image of the Old Point Loma Lighthouse was done the same way. I prefer the Tree image more. I think I did a better job framing that one.

Now that I have a darkroom again, I think I’ll try another mosaic. I will try with my 6X6 Hasselblad. I will have to find the right place in the Tucson area!