WHAT IS SURREALISM?

I was exposed to surrealism during my art days in college. It was there that I was introduced to the likes of Salvador Dalí and other surrealists. 

As a photographer, I don't interpret surrealism as bizarre or even as creative as the original surrealists. However, I do like to look for certain characteristics common to this great art movement, like the juxtaposition of the unlikely, objects or themes we don't usually associate with each other, the unexpected, and those visuals that slap us in the face and  make us say, "What the ***?" Most of the time I find surrealistic scenes; sometimes I create them in my imagination, then create them in camera.

I'll start my examples with this totally unexpected scene. As I walked into a restroom in a coffee shop in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, I was immediately stopped in my tracks when I saw this. I had my camera, so I quickly locked the door and starting shooting!

This giant sculpture of the iconic painting American Gothic was so surreal against the backdrop of giant skyscrapers in Chicago.

This is one of those times when I created surrealism in my mind, then created it in camera.
Garden of the Gods, in Colorado Springs, as I "painted" some of the scene with flashlights.

I was at the Denver aquarium when I saw this surreal juxtaposition of fish and tiger.

Blue trees? I had never seen blue trees until I visited Seattle, Washington and saw this  downtown display. I'm always on the lookout for the bizarre; for the unexpected.

  

Most of us know what to expect when we think of the term "portrait." We usually associate the concept with a person; an individual portrait. But have you ever associated a portrait with a rooster? 

An acquaintance told me he had a pet rooster. I thought, "What?" I don't know about you, but I associate pets with dogs, cats, or maybe parrots or parakeets.....but roosters? I just had to ask if I could come back with my camera at a later date. 

I imagined what this would look like if I photographed mostly reflections, knowing that I would show the imag "upside down." I imagined what this would look if I photographed mostly reflections, knowing that I would show the image "upside down." I like to do that with reflections sometimes. In this case, the "floating" rocks in the sky seemed very much like a Dalí painting.

Certainly surrealism is not for everyone. But if this unique art movement resonates with you, go out and get creative---think outside the box that's outside the box and have fun with it.