Most of us would think that creating images that look like they’re out of this world would take a lot of Photoshop magic. However, John Dykstra is an artist and surrealist photographer from Michigan who does it all in-camera. He uses his garage as a studio and adds simple props to create optical illusions and capture them in mind-boggling images.
I chatted with John a little about his work, as I was astounded by the images he creates. First of all, I was curious to know what inspired him to take this approach. Doing everything in-camera is certainly not an easy method of creating surrealistic images, and John confirms that it’s challenging to him: but in the right ways.
Jon says that this problem-solving approach and the combination of techniques is what leads him to new ideas, pushes the limits and exercises the creative muscles of his imagination. But there’s something else that motivates him to create these incredible surrealistic images in-camera:
The artist says that we’re so used to seeing manipulated photography, that it’s hard to see such unusual photography and not assume it’s unaltered. And I tend to agree: most of us would assume that the photos like this were created in Photoshop, but as John puts it, “sometimes you can believe in what you see.” As for his approach, John used to call it “concrete surrealism” or “straight surrealism,” because the approach was so evidently different from composite surrealism. He uses perspective illusions in photography to speak on the importance of perspective towards life. And he decided to capture all his ideas with practical effects while he was still in college, when a professor criticized his early surrealist work telling him “to try to avoid these Photoshop tropes.” So, John decided that if he was going to avoid Photoshop tropes, he might as well avoid Photoshop manipulation altogether. And this is when his work started developing towards what he creates today.
When he first looked through the viewfinder, John says he was amazed how it turned out. But, getting the shot right wasn’t an easy task. Since these images are very complex and demanding, I was curious to know how much time it normally takes John to create one image. As I assumed, it takes a lot of time. But if you ask me, it definitely pays off.
John’s photos combine drawing, photography and the use of props, and they require getting the light and the perspective just right to achieve the desired result. So I was curious to know – does he do everything himself, or he has some help. And I was amazed to learn that John does it all on his own!
Finally, I asked John what gear and accessories he normally uses. His earlier work illustrates the famous expression that gear doesn’t matter because he used to shoot with a Nikon D7000 and an Alienbee. Today, however, he works with a medium format digital camera, three Einstein E640’s, several different fresnel lights, a fog machine, and some other knick-knacks that provide him with a lot to experiment with. While we’re at the large format print exhibition, I sure hope that John will have one soon. I can only imagine how amazing these images would look when printed large! But in the meantime, take a look at more of John’s images below. And of course, make sure to check out more of his work on his website, and follow him on Instagram, Facebook, and Flickr.
