How to Photograph Darth Vader Riding a Chipmunk

This photograph, titled “Easy Rider“, was shot by photographer Chris McVeigh (AKA powerpig on Flickr). The photograph seems so unbelievable that many people asked whether it was faked using Photoshop.

As this video will show, it’s all happening right there in front of the camera. I get no satisfaction out of a composited photo—the challenge for me is to capture the chipmunk engaged in a real and rather extraordinary situation. And keep in mind that this is a wild chipmunk, not my pet. (Color correction and the lightsaber effect were applied in post-production.)

Amazing! Now please do the same thing with a deer and a life sized Vader.

Image credit: Easy Rider by powerpig and used with permission