PHOTOGRAPHER CREATES LANDSCAPES USING HUMAN BODIES

Photographic illustrator, Carl Warner, creates what is called 'Bodyscapes' by transforming one thing into another.

He has sculpted monumental landscapes out of a well-built muscular body, by using inventive and precise composition and lighting. Most of Warner's scenes appear to be composed out of several models. However the illustrations were actually sculpted from a single person and stitched together from multiple shots taken.

Warner created the illusion of mountains by using elbows and knees, and used backs and necks to create the effect of valleys and desserts.

Before each photoshoot, Warner sketched out the compositions. But once he picked up the camera new poses will come to him, which he incorporated into the series as well. He often uses both tungsten and flash lighting equipment to highlight the contours of these unexpected elements to fit his new vision.

However, Warner explained that the photographer tried to enhance the sense of realism within the landscapes by recreating natural sunlight in the studio.

"Since the work has gone viral, I have had many offers from people to pose. But I would really like to move the work forward by photographing well-known people whose bodies have carried them through their personal journeys.

"The shoots have been quite intimate affairs due to the nature of shooting nudes," the photographer explained. "So it was just me and my assistant. There's very little preparation apart from making sure there are no clothing marks and that the skin is well-hydrated and moisturised."

The desert orgy scene from the film Zabriskie Point was a big inspiration to create Bodyscapes for Warner. However, he does not believe that these images can be classified as erotic, but rather more geological.

He believes that by creating the folds and wrinkles, mirror creases and gnarls in rock and sloping legs conjure images of weathered hills shows a more geological effect of his work.