Photographer Michael Wood has developed a distinctive artistic technique called the "Doublestik series," which combines traditional photography with natural sand textures to create unique composite images. Wood's innovative approach emerged from his desire to create something original that hadn't been explored before in contemporary photography.
At a pivotal moment in his photographic career, Wood recognized the need to distinguish his work from conventional practices. He observed that many photographers were incorporating cloud layers into their images to enhance atmospheric effects, and while he appreciated this technique, Wood felt compelled to discover an alternative natural texture element that would set his work apart from others in the field.
Wood's inspiration came from his extensive experience photographing sand and beach scenes over many years. He had been consistently drawn to the constantly evolving and seemingly random visual patterns found in these coastal environments. The photographer was particularly fascinated by the unpredictable nature of sand formations and their ever-changing appearance, which provided endless possibilities for creative exploration.
The breakthrough came when Wood began experimenting with layering his sand and beach photographs with other images from his portfolio. Through this process, he discovered that combining these elements produced results that were significantly more impactful than the individual photographs alone. This realization that "the whole was greater than the sum of the parts" motivated him to pursue this technique further and develop it into a comprehensive artistic series.
The "Doublestik" name derives from the traditional darkroom practice of physically sandwiching two transparent film images together to create a single composite photograph. In theory, these layered transparencies could be held in place using double-stick tape, which inspired the series title. This technique represents Wood's modern interpretation of classic photographic methods, blending traditional craftsmanship with contemporary artistic vision to produce truly original works of art.
