A Different Look at the Flint Hills
On Road CR-2 Greenwood County
Near Texaco Hill, Greenwood County
Tully Hill Road, Geary County
Hard to believe that I haven’t updated this Blog since October. It’s been a busy year for everything except photography it seems. But, I haven’t been completely lazy.
My latest project on the Flint Hills makes use of multiple prints to form a panoramic display. Using two prints is called diptych (pronounced dip-tick). Using three prints is called a triptych (with similar pronunciation). (People with ArtSpeak inherently know these pronunciations and meanings, but I was a farm boy and had to look them up.) Using this approach for panoramic landscape departs from the classic construction of a -tych. In the classic construction, each print may be entirely different yet the sum tells a story. I guess one could stretch that classic definition and say that the panorama tells a story about the landscape more adequately than single photographs.
For this technique, I use individual 4×5 negatives and make individual prints. After processing and drying, the prints are trimmed to match, then dry mounted on mat board.
Its really exciting to use multiple 11×14 prints. That brings the image up to a size that’s more in keeping with the feel of the Flint Hills. Using 8×10 prints for an 8×20 diptych or 10x 24 triptych is also nice. The 8×20 format is a standard banquet-camera size, the next step up from the 7×17 format that I use.
I’m participating in the Emporia Art Walk this year on Saturday April 18th. My goal is to have several of these panoramas on display and for sale. Hope to see you there.
Alex Hawley - large format analog photography 
As always, I enjoy how you capture the curves of the hills. The shapes in the Flint Hills fascinate me. Making the shots panoramas only adds to my pleasure. Thanks.
Thanks Dennis. Try to make it to the Emporia Artist Walk so you can see the prints first-hand. WOuld enjoy meeting you.
Those are really nice images, Alex.
Thanks Diane!