All images by Daniel Garay Arango. Used with Creative Commons permission.
How do you make something mind-blowing with something as commonplace as architectural photography? In a marvel of photography and digital art, Colombian photographer Daniel Garay Arango gives us a good idea. He imagines what architectural elements would look like in a zero-gravity environment. At least, that’s what I’d say the story would be from the set’s title alone.
But, all sci-fi suggestions aside, Daniel’s idea for his GRVTY series is actually quite interesting. I imagine it evolving from an original idea to “dissect” some buildings into different frames. Instead of taking pictures of buildings from different angles and vantage points, he went for a more literal execution, cutting them into sections and even pieces.
He must also have thought about how he could make the results more dramatic. Somewhere along his train of thought must have come a really simple solution: let’s call it “GRVTY” and manipulate the gravity in the picture. And with it, the mind-boggling architectural series was born, showing us how far we can take an idea for a compelling visual effect or story.
Some may argue that this series isn’t photography anymore, but more image manipulation. There are images showing the buildings so deconstructed that it certainly leans more towards that. But for those that aren’t, they still make fine examples of architectural photography with recognizable attention to detail.
Another feature that gives GRVTY an extra “kick,” if you will, is the monochrome rendering. It works so nicely that its a little difficult to imagine it done in another way. Pair it with a contrasty look and you have a series that also emphasizes form and allows the details of each building to stand out.
Check out Daniel Garay Arango’s Behance portfolio to view and follow more of his photography projects.
