The Three Realms is a composite that I made from 8 photos. It is a depiction of Heaven and Hell with the Earth in the middle hence the title: The Three Realms. Originally, I was exploring the option of making a scene of Heaven with images from the clouds and the buildings. However, I was struck by inspiration and continued to add more and more to the composite until I was satisfied. I really enjoyed working on this for a couple hours and then stepping away from the computer to contemplate my next move with the composite.
What makes this composite so special is that the images were taken with three different cameras (Canon Rebel XT, Canon 7D, and The Canon 5D Mark II) over the span of five years. Starting with the Heavenly Stars- taken from my backyard, The Heavenly buildings- The San Giorgio Monastery in Venice, Italia, Heavenly clouds, Earthly mountains - from a local mountain peak, and Hell- from local 2008 and 2009 wildfires.
My interpretation of the image moving from bottom to the top of the image:
Hell- the small specs of light represent the unknown.... they could be demons or eyes of monsters. The fire and smoke represent heat and suffering. Fire is beginning to ignite the bottom part of the earth indicatiing where the world might be headed.
Earth- Life represent by lush greens. The large separated houses represent the desire for individuality and freedom.
Heaven- The dense clouds are my idea of the unknown location and difficult path to get to Heaven. Once above the clouds, everything is clean, simple, and clear. The buildings could represent the house of God or maybe a personal castle away from the evils of the Earth and Hell. The stars represent the vast size of what Heaven could be.
My interpretation and inspiration to apply meaning behind everything in the Three Realms comes from Dr. Fred Levine and his Art History lectures.
Im looking for comments and critiques. This is also the first time I have attempted anything like this.
