Artist Shatters the Earth with CGI-Free Photography Tricks

The process of making a photo that defies reality without CGI is complex yet rewarding. Swedish photographer and illusionist Erik Johansson walks us through that process in a slick, hyperlapsed how-to for the photo above, entitled, Impact. He composited half a dozen photos of deserts, lakes, broken mirrors, and a fish to create the illusion of a pristine lake that shattered upon hitting the shore. 

“It takes just as much time to do something in real life as it does trying to fake it in Photoshop, so I just thought it would be more fun to do it for real,” Johansson told The Creators project in a 2014 interview. “And because you use actual images, no one can ever tell you it doesn’t look realistic, which to me is very important.”

Follow Johansson’s progress in this behind-the-scenes video, then check out some of his other works in the ‘grams below.

See more of Erik Johansson’s work on his website, and follow @erikjohanssonphoto and @Creators_Project on Instagram.

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