For those familiar with my photography, you already know that a new photo concept doesn’t begin with a moodboard. For those who are new here and have just discovered this article, welcome. This entry is inspired by Milo Manara’s Gullivera. Welcome aboard a journey through exaggerated worlds, reimagined through a modern and surreal lens, where normal is nothing more than a pretty word for controlled.
The Surreal Mirror
In literature, Lemuel Gulliver was a surgeon turned sea captain who found himself stranded in bizarre worlds, each one a satire of human society. In Manara’s “Gullivera”, the explorer is a woman, sensual, vulnerable yet fearless. A visual allegory of curiosity meeting corruption.
My take through these photographs captures both spirits. I feel a bit like Gulliver, not a surgeon, but precise with surgical accuracy in exploring timely topics through my photo series. I see myself as the captain, navigating an uncharted map through my artistic decisions, as Gullivera represents the provocative taboo of exposing fantasy through sensuality.
Adventurous Energy
Questioning the approval culture built on modern illusions and the pursuit of “status” for validation from others is the energy that often fuels my photo concepts. Like the explorers before us, the artist’s path is a high-risk, high-reward game. History has always rewarded those who looked beyond borders, even when society labeled them reckless or wrong.
Modern explorers like Passport Bros make moves based on what benefits them, much like the old explorers, and much like the current system that steals joy by promoting unnecessary models designed only to serve its own narrative. Passport Bros carry stigma because paying with the same currency is seen as a major sin. But leaving a system behind in pursuit of better outcomes is nothing fundamentally new. What is new are the false theories that clash with historical data and undeniable facts. The idea that exploration, whether through geography or intimacy, is an act of rebellion remains timeless.
The System vs The Self
My Gulliver and Gullivera surreal travels navigate the scams of security that trap individuals in 30-year mortgages, unhappy relationships, and other costly failures at the expense of freedom, talent, and their best years. Every photo is both a mirage and a satire.
Breaking Illusions
My Gullivera photography is a voyage that reveals how the explorer, the artist, after seeing through the exaggerated scale of modern life, can play the game differently by refusing to shrink, reclaiming their adventurous spirit and independence within it. Self-awareness, along with an understanding of your circumstances and environment, means creating, and ultimately living, by your own terms. This is the true path to freedom and happiness.
Shooting the Voyage
I’ll wrap up this article by sharing some technical and aesthetic insights behind my Gullivera inspired photos:
- I used natural light during golden hour.
- I framed the shots with a cinematic feel in mind, both during and after the shoot.
- I edited the images using my usual workflow process.
- I drew inspiration from Manara’s dreamy yet satirical color palettes for grading.
When you shoot surrealism, anchor it in truth. The more believable the texture, the more powerful the illusion.
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