Unnatural Beauty

Take a look at this photograph. You’ll probably agree that photographer Matthew Albanese has a very good eye. Matthew has photographed everything from a spinning tornado to the lava flow of an active volcano. He’s even snapped a Mars landscape and a Moon landing! Just how is this possible?

The answer is simpler than you might imagine. All of his landscapes are fake! Even though they look real, these photographs actually show miniature models that Matthew created in his home studio. But even more amazingly, Matthew revealed that the idea behind these dreamlike worlds actually came to him by chance!

Matthew said that he was busy in his kitchen one day when he knocked over a large tub of paprika spice. As he was cleaning it up, the color and texture of the spice suddenly reminded him of the planet Mars. Even though it may have been just a passing thought, for Matthew it was an aspiration. He began to study images of the red planet and then made his very own miniature Mars from a blend of various spices. Then, he began to experiment with other materials, such as melted sugar for his arctic landscapes and glowing phosphorous ink for his erupting volcano.

To create such intricate models takes a lot of work. Matthew explained that he first must research his subjects in great detail. He then experiments with different materials to find which look the most realistic. After a slow and lengthy process, Matthew finally constructs a model. But the work isn’t finished yet: he then has to photograph it hundreds of times to achieve the best result. Well, all his hard work has certainly paid off, because the results are quite spectacular!