Magic of Double Exposure Photography

Double exposure photography allows you to combine images in unexpected ways, creating photographs that are layered, expressive, and conceptually rich. In this new online beginner-level workshop, you learn how to create compelling double exposures using both Adobe Photoshop and in-camera techniques. This course is the first in a two-part series, with a next-level workshop offered in June.

Led by fine-art photographer Manuela Thames, this six-session workshop introduces the creative and technical foundations of multiple exposure imagery and shows how these approaches can be applied across a range of genres, including abstraction, portraiture, documentary, still life, and landscape. You begin with a step-by-step introduction to essential Adobe Photoshop tools and workflows, focusing on blending modes and key adjustments that help translate creative ideas into finished images.

Through guided demonstrations, student image reviews, and hands-on assignments, you build confidence with the process while developing your own visual approach. You explore how to select effective image pairings, identify strong visual elements, pre-visualize outcomes, and make intentional choices around color and black-and-white. You also spend time looking at and discussing example works by other photographers to better understand how double exposure techniques function conceptually and aesthetically.

Once you are comfortable working digitally, Manuela introduces in-camera double exposure techniques, guiding you through the creative possibilities and limitations of this approach. By focusing exclusively on two-layer compositions, the workshop provides the time and structure needed to fully understand each step before moving on to more complex imagery. By the end of the course, you leave with a strong technical foundation, a clearer creative direction, and the confidence to continue exploring multiple exposure photography.