conceptual

What Major Cities Would Look Like Without Billboards

Visual pollution is when things like advertisements or unsightly cables negatively impact the aesthetics of natural or human-made landscapes, and it's particularly prevalent in the major cities of the world. But what would those cities look like with this type of pollution cleaned up?

This Striking Portrait of ‘Division’ Was Captured with Non-Visible Light

Whenever something is bothering wet plate photographer Markus Hofstaetter, he captures his anxiety with striking, creative imagery. Lately, the idea of "division"—in ourselves, our societies, and our world—has been on his mind, so he set about capturing a "division" portrait. The twist: he didn't want to capture any visible light.

Shooting a Photo of Politicians’ Empty Campaign Promises

'Politricks': "the word "politics" altered to convey the empty-campaign promises often experienced after politicians get elected." About a year ago I had this thought of making a picture from this word.

This Photographer Shoots Impressive Conceptual ‘Selfies’

When Montreal-based photographer Véronique Duplain started out in her photography career back in 2014, she decided to take one self-portrait per day during the month of February. After the intense effort, she decided to keep the series going. Fast-forward six years, and her "Selfie Project" has grown to be an impressive body of work that captures her development as an artist.

How I Shot a Concept Photo of an Organ Market

A surgeon at a meat market. It's an absolutely simple yet ridiculous idea, so it had to be done for real! China has been harvesting organs from detainees, so maybe this absurd project of mine isn't so far from the truth!

Creating a Photo of a Radical Vegan Zombie Activist

It has been said that meat consumption should decrease by 90% in the West if we want to avoid dangerous climate warming. And because all of us should be involved to achieve this goal, I of course decided to invite zombies to join in the effort of combating climate change.

Creating a UFO Abduction Photo on a Tabletop

I love the theme of science fiction, so I always have these ideas about flying UFOs and houses in the middle of nowhere that aliens show an interest in as they try to take over a new planet.

Making a Conceptual Photo of the Man Who Controls Day and Night

Swedish photographer and retoucher Erik Johansson has created a new conceptual photo titled "Daybreaker," which shows the man in charge of controlling the transitions between day and night. Johansson is also sharing a behind-the-scenes look at how he put both day and night into one photo.

‘Turn the Blind Eye’: How I Turned a Concept Photo Idea Into Reality

I’m not an environmental activist. I’m more or less a regular dude who hates taking out biowaste, still drives a diesel because it's cheaper, and recycles plastic because my wife tells me to. I enjoy our Finnish lake views, clean air, and peaceful sunsets, but rarely thought about losing them... until recently.

Doing a Low-Budget Photo Shoot with DIY Props for Less Than $75

I love DIY props and big scenes in photography that are well designed. Not many of us photographers have the place or money to create our own stages so I wanted to challenge myself to make one in our living room with a very low budget.

This Photographer Turns His Childhood Memories into Photos

German photographer Thomas Friedrich Schaefer has created Experiential Spaces, a series of photos that are inspired by fragments of his childhood memories of growing up. At the same time, he wants to stimulate the viewers to bring out their own childhood memories too.

Creating a Conceptual Photo of the Full Moon Getting Swapped In

Conceptual photographer Erik Johansson created this beautiful and surreal image titled "Full Moon Service," showing a couple of workers swapping in a full moon to maintain the lunar phases. Johansson has also released a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how the project was done, from concept to final shot.

Portraits of Men with Soap Bubble Facial Hair

"Bubbleissimo" is a quirky new photo project by New York-based photographer Mindo Cikanavicius. It features serious portraits of men wearing serious expressions... and beards and mustaches made of soap bubbles.

Artist Creates Striking Self-Portraits with Animal Eyes

Hungarian photographer and retoucher Flora Borsi has a knack for making creative (and viral) photomanipulations, from placing herself into historical photos to turning the world into a coffee-lover's dream.

For her latest project, titled "Animeyed," Borsi created a series of striking self-portraits in which her right eye is "replaced" with an animal's.

This Concept Camera Won’t Let You Shoot Unoriginal Photographs

Say hello to "Camera Restricta," a new concept camera by designer (and photographer) Philipp Schmitt. It's described as a "disobedient tool for taking unique photographs." In short, the camera searches the Web for other photos that have been captured from the same place and if too many photos are found, the camera will prevent you from taking another unoriginal photo.

This Camera Will Capture a 1,000-Year Exposure That Ends in 3015 for History’s Slowest Photo

Jonathon Keats wants to set a world record in photography that he won't live long enough to see. Nor will his children, or his children's children for many generations. It's a project that won't complete for a millennium.

Keats plans to capture the world's slowest photograph, a 1,000-year-long exposure of the city of Tempe, Arizona, that will be finished in the Spring of 3015.

A Mother’s Darkly Humorous Portraits of ‘Domestic Bliss’

Inspired by a motherhood epiphany and the work of Cindy Sherman, photographer Susan Copich has spent the past four years creating a darkly comedic photo series called Domestic Bliss. In it, she turns the camera on herself and her family, portray a handful of family life scenes that she has meticulously crafted.

A Quirky Portrait Series that Features ‘Elderly Kids’

Los Angeles-based photographer Zachary Scott of Sharpe & Associates was recently commissioned by New York Times Magazine to shoot a quirky series of portraits for a feature titled, "What if Age Is Nothing but a Mind-Set?" The piece was about the area of reverse aging research, so Scott's task was to make a group of kids look like they had instantly aged 70 years or so.