Memories
The old rocking chair
Memories fresh as Spring breeze
They sat there that day
This composite image focuses on the old rocking chair we bought in 1960 upon the birth of our first child. Unfortunately, I could not locate a photo that I took of my wife sitting in the chair and rocking
the baby. I settled on an image I recorded some years ago of my wife sitting in the chair and reaching down to lift up our small dog.
The original was processed shortly after it was recorded. The new image of the chair was recorded for this composite.
In PhotoShop, I selected the background of the chair image and added a black fill. I made a selection of my wife and the dog from the original and moved it into place over the new chair. I then reduced the opacity of the wife and dog layer.
8 comments posted
Cindy Smith
What a beautiful image! I really want to learn how to do this. The name of the image is perfect for the image. Good job. Posted: 12/05/2025 03:05:59
Chan Garrett
Thank you, Cindy. The process for this composite is really not that involved once you learn the power of layers in Ps. Posted: 12/05/2025 14:12:02
Jennifer Marano
Hi Chan,
What a sweet image! It really conveys the feeling of memory! I do wonder what it would look like if the chair were also to be in B&W, but perhaps that would spoil the sense of memory that your image conveys. Very well done. Posted: 12/08/2025 19:33:29
Chan Garrett
Thanks, Jennifer. You ask an interesting question. Of course, if I presented the chair in B&W, I would need to change the color of the background. Every day, I see the chair in its present condition. The image of my wife and dog is only a memory. Posted: 12/09/2025 14:16:42
Steven Jungerwirth
I love that with digital - we can easily revisit/edit old images; often finding a previously undiscovered gem. The picture of your wife/dog is obviously meaningful for you and you did a great job masking the chair and creating the composite. My only question pertains to size/scale. I'm struck that in your composite your wife appears too small. I think you could easily transform that layer into something that fit better with the size of the chair. I could also envision a series of images, varying the opacity of your wife/dog from 100% to a series of lower numbers. Thanks for sharing this. Posted: 12/11/2025 11:43:12
Chan Garrett
Steven, you are correct about the scale. I did go back and increased the scale but did not like it as well. When dealing with memories, perhaps scale does not matter. Nevertheless, you are right about the scale. Nice catch. Posted: 12/11/2025 14:10:04
Dale Yates
Fantastic image! The story line is phenomenal! This shows me the artistic possibilities in photography and I appreciate this very much. My only suggestion is to possibly experiment with the contrast between your wife & dog and the chair itself. Perhaps slightly increase the opacity of your wife & dog and slightly lower the overall tone of the chair. This may direct more attention to your wife & dog with the chair taking a more background role. Just a thought... a great photo. Thanks for sharing! Posted: 12/11/2025 14:44:02
Chan Garrett
Thank you, Dale. Your suggestions make sense and are worth my consideration and possible experimentation. I do want to keep the fact that my wife and dog (Lacey) sitting in the chair are only memories connected with the old rocking chair. Posted: 12/12/2025 14:24:45
