[Video] Erik Johansson Discusses His Mind-Bending Photography

At a recent TED Talk, conceptual photographer Erik Johansson broke down his approach and method into a bite-size chat. While many photographers consider their work finished as soon as they hit the shutter button, apply contrast, and upload to Flickr, Erik decides to take it further (quite a bit further, in fact). His images make you stop and think and may take a few minutes to sink in. If you’re one of those who asks “yeah, but is it photography?” don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Let me be the first to say that while I was not familiar with Erik before this video, I took a look at his website and instantly recognized some of his work from ad campaigns. His website, alltelleringet.com, shows off his many talents and a staggering body of work, all of which are unique and show an incredible attention to detail and continuity. It’s well worth a visit and I promise that it will inspire you to try out some new compositing techniques or think outside of the box on your next shoot, whether you’re a sports photographer, architectural photographer, or wedding photographer.

My favorite thing about the video? His willingness to share, if only briefly, some of his techniques for camera positioning, color matching, and compositing.