See How Photographer Creates a Roadtrip Through Iceland

So let me start with a bold statement. Adrian Sommeling is probably the most famous composite artist in the world. If you have not seen one of his images before, you are either short-sighted or you live in Scunthorpe. I do not think modern technology has blossomed there yet. Anyway, Sommeling's work is renowned for its craftsmanship, its humor, and family, as he uses his son Nic in most of the images. In Sommeling's fantasy world Nic has played tennis with the sun, flown on a magic carpet and sat on the wing of a plane, mid-flight. The never-ending bucket of inspiration continues as he moves on to giant people interacting with their environments. 

With all this expertise inside that brain of his its only natural for him to want to inspire others. Which is why he has some behind the scenes videos on his YouTube, showing exactly how he creates these amazing composites. The favorite of mine is the image of Sommeling and his son driving an Aston Martin through the epic landscape of Iceland.

In the video, Adrian discusses shooting the background and the car, explaining his reasons behind it. He then shows you the studio shoot, how he lit the car, himself and his son. Once the shoot is done, Adrian then begins to work on the background, using dodge and burn to get it ready for the placement of the car. Once the car is in place, Aad then corrects reflections, creates shadows and places himself and Nic in the car. Finally, we move on to color correction and some final details.

Watching the video is like watching one of those shows where a magician reveals his tricks. It shows us the viewer, that anything is possible and we can also do it. The blueprint is laid out for us.