Marine Correspondent Photographs Star Wars Stormtroopers in Real-Life Combat Situations

Take a look behind the scenes as Photographer, Producer, and Marine Gunnery Sergeant Joseph DiGIrolamo documents the work of Photographer Matthew Callahan. Callahan is a U.S. Marine Combat Correspondent, who, when not telling the stories of the men and women who serve, is working on his personal fine art project, "Galactic Warfighters." This riveting photo essay is aimed at humanizing the fictional, faceless stormtrooper characters of the Star Wars galaxy. 

By doing this, Callahan hopes to remind the general public that those who fight for us are not faceless clones. They are real people experiencing real hardships, exhibiting selfless acts of valor, bravery, and compassion, all in the name of their country. Using photos captured during real-life combat, Callahan tries to capture the spirit of what it is like through toy characters that are just 1/6th scale (or 12 inches). There is a very cool moment when Sergeant William Bee (also featured in this video post: How Photographers Change the Way You Feel About War) recognizes himself in one of Callahan's images, which was inspired by an iconic photo of Sgt. Bee, taken by Goran Tomasevic while under fire near Garmser, Afghanistan.

Don't forget, Matthew Callahan isn't just shooting toys. His body of work consists of some very real and spectacular images. So, be sure to check him out on his webpage and follow him on Facebook and Instagram.

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Kenn Tam's picture

Been holding this damn camera in my hand since 1991.
Toronto / New York City

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4 Comments

Just plain bad ass images!

awesome

wow amazing story and great photos!

Love this. Definitely an interesting take and the execution is flawless.