With the way that digital cameras are now so cheap, and access to Photoshop or simialr packages is so easy, there has been a real explosion in gimmicky photographic techniques as effects previously only feasible for professionals with expensive equipment can now be done by just about anyone.

These things spread like a rash. One or two people do a couple of photos, then everyone has a go, and before long the whole concept gets added to the list of photographic cliches and considered a bit naff by the aficionados.

Not being an aficionado myself, I am still quite fond of these things even after they become hackneyed in many eyes. Past examples of gimmicks which took off are:

• High dynamic range (HDR)
  This is where you take 3 pictures of the same thing at different exposures (or something technical like that) and then combine them to end up with spooky photos which are sometimes ultra-vivid or hyper-real. I have never tried this as I don’t really understand it.
• Cloning
  This is the only one I have tried with any degree of success. It is where you take two or more photos from the same place but with a person or subject which is in a different position each time. You then edit the photos together so it looks like there are clones of the subject.
• Fake tilt-shift
  This is where a picture, usually of a cityscape, is treated so that it looks like a photo of a model. In the past this was done using a tilt-shift lens but now the effect can be faked in Photoshop. I still love this effect but I haven’t tried it – I don’t have photoshop and I don’t think it can be done in PhotoFiltre.
• Transparent screens
  This is where you take a photo of where your computer screen would be, then use it as the desktop on the computer so that it looks like the screen is transparent. Very gimmicky but a lot harder to do than it looks. Having failed in my own attempts I have a lot more respect for those who acheived a realistic effect.

The latest fad, which I only discovered today but which has probably been going on for a while, is miniature planets. Its a bit hard to explain. A good example is on Sam Javanrouh’s site and, of course, there are a lot more on Flickr. It uses some sort of polar distortion on panoramic photos to loop them round into a circular photo.

Some of the results are reminiscent of Roger Dean‘s old album covers for Yes.

I know there are purists who dislike the idea of manipulating photos in any way, especially some of these gross distortions but I quite like the idea of using normal photos as the input to a creative process instead of them being the end product.