Last Updated on 03/14/2018 by Mark Beckenbach
All images by Chris Clor. Used with Creative Commons permission.
Conceptual photography is certainly one of the most challenging genres to get into. Not only do projects of this kind need to be eye-catching, but they also have a strong visual story or idea to portray. Among the works we’ve found outstanding of late is something by Chris Clor, a London-based photographer, retoucher, and CGI artist, who combines digital art and photography to create impressive conceptual projects and campaigns.
One such project is his Night Riders series, one of his concept works for Harley Davidson Motorcycles. One of his previous projects for the famous motorcycle manufacturer depicted some road warriors making their way around the roads of London during the day. In contrast — or most likely the second part of his concept’s story — Night Riders show the bikers on their high-speed prowl at night, set against dark and gritty locations.
Beyond the obvious differences between the day and night concepts, I’m sure many viewers will agree that the strength and appeal of Night Riders lie in the cinematic quality of the images. This feature shows from the dramatic lighting and the setting, down to the color grading and the slight difference in angles. In fact, some of the photos are almost like stills from an action-packed movie.
Chris’ mastery of digital art and illustration is also evident in the post-processing applied to this set. While Night Riders risks looking overly processed and more CGI work than photography, there’s no doubt that this project demonstrates a skillful combination of both creative disciplines. Also, it allowed Chris to add a different dimension and character to the usual approach for brands like Harley Davidson.
Some of you may also remember that Chris is also an outstanding landscape photographer, as his punchy monochrome landscapes show.
Do visit Chris Clor’s website and Behance portfolio to see more of his awesome conceptual photography.