conceptual

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Photography

A Surreal Photoshoot on an Underwater Shipwreck in Bali

Taken recently off the coast of Bali, these surreal photos are the creation of Montreal-based director and photographer Benjamin Von Wong, known for his exceedingly difficult photoshoots. Where it might be more practical to create the complex aspects of these photos digitally, Von Wong took a different path and assembled a team of two models who also happen to be trained freedivers, 7 additional support divers, and obtained special permission to utilize a 50-year-old underwater shipwreck. The entire shoot took place 25 meters below the surface, and because of the extreme conditions and limitations, he relied heavily on natural light to create the final images you see here.

You can watch the video above to see how the photoshoot came together and read more about the process over on his blog. (via PetaPixel, My Modern Met)

Art Photography

Photographer Laurent Lavender Plays with the Moon

In his ongoing series of photos titled Moon Games, French photographer Laurent Lavender has subjects play with a rising moon, effectively tansforming it into a balloon, a painting, and even a scoop of ice cream. The dreamlike photos have been turned into a calendar and a (French-only) book of poetry as well as a few other objects. You can see more of his work over on Facebook. (via IFLScience)

Art

Reflected Landscapes by Victoria Siemer

In this recent series of digital artworks, Brooklyn-based graphic designer Victoria Siemer begins with dreamy landscapes of mountainous forests shrouded in fog and clouds and then inserts giant reflective fragments that rise from the ground. The inversed image creates the uncanny effect of a monolithic mirror that towers over the photograph like a kind of portal. Siemer says via email that the images are open for interpretation, but her work often deals with the idea of visual or emotional fragmentation which originated from her college thesis. Another example is her recent series of humanized computer error messages recently making the rounds. You can see more over on her blog (occasionally nsfw). (via My Modern Met)

Photography

Isolated Building Facades by Zacharie Gaudrillot-Roy

Facades is an ongoing series of work by French photographer Zacharie Gaudrillot-Roy that imagines a world where facades have been completely isolated from buildings. He shares of the project:

The façade is the first thing we see, it’s the surface of a building. It can be impressive, superficial or safe. Just like during a wandering through a foreign city, I walk through the streets with these questions: what will happen if we stick to that first vision? If the daily life of “The Other” was only a scenery? This series thus offers a vision of an unknown world that would only be a picture, without intimate space, with looks as the only refuge.

Several of his works will be included in “Bright Lights. Big Cities.” at the Antwerp Mansion in Manchester this May.

Art Photography

Wonderland: A Fantastical Voyage of Remembrance Through Portrait Photography by Kirsty Mitchell

Part tribute, part conceptual photography, part exploration of costume and set design, Wonderland is an ongoing series of portraits by UK photographer Kirsty Mitchell. After the loss of her mother in 2008, Mitchell found herself in need of a creative outlet to grapple with the emptiness that often follows the death of a loved one. To fill the vacuum, Mitchell began to revisit fragments of fairy tales her mother would share with her as a child and decided to use them as a starting point for a series of elaborate portraits that would make use of her background in fashion design and costume making. The resulting images would form a storybook without words, a sort of visual narrative that people might project their own stories onto.

Everything you see in Mitchell’s photos from the costumes to the sets have been sewn, painted, glued, and assembled completely by hand, requiring up to five months of preparation. By the time of each photoshoot, which generally happens in the woodlands around her home, an elaborate scene has been constructed that the photographer says is akin to a miniature movie set, complete with lighting and assistants, let alone her absurdly patient models.

Now five years later the Wonderland project has practically consumed Mitchell’s life. The photos, which total 69 pictures, have gone thoroughly viral around the web and have opened up entirely new avenues in her artistic career. Mitchell has just announced a collaboration with FX Media, who is helping to shoot a full-length documentary about the final 10 photos in the series, including a 5-minute behind-the-scenes clip detailing the preparation for each image, the first of which, Gaia, you can watch above. Mitchell also recently exhibited with Italian Vogue and was made Nikon UK’s Ambassador of Fine Art Photography in July of this year. You can learn more about her work via her website and get info on limited edition prints here.

Lastly, please do not use Mitchell’s Wonderland images on your billboard, t-shirt, coffee mug or shower curtain without her permission. Seriously. She’s an exceptionally kind person to speak with and will be thrilled to hear all about your amazing ideas for her work. All images above courtesy Kirsty Mitchell. (via PetaPixel)

Art Photography

Surreal Portraits from Oleg Oprisco

Kiev-based photographer Oleg Oprisco (previously) continues to amaze with his surreal style of conceptual photography that makes use of a muted palette, unexpected props, and mysterious figures to paint images from a strange, dreamlike world. You can see more of his most recent work over on Behance.