To better understand how I work I made this brief video. In most instances I use four to eight images to build the photomontage. I also use Photoshop generated content like light bursts, reverse imagery, and polar coordinates. I audition hundreds of images to arrive at the final selections and sometimes I change them as the composition emerges. On average I create over thirty layers through the development process. The total process takes about eight to twelve hour to complete.
These are the five images in their original form that created the Dakota photomontage.