Do you remember those wonderfully illustrated pop-up books you read as a kid? Photographer Hugh Kretschmer has a love for picture books reminiscent of childhood, and he lives out that fantasy by creating elaborate life-size scenes you’d swear were Photoshopped but were actually formulated by hand in front of a camera.
“Having a child and reading illustrated children’s books, I’ve always found that an inspiration. Some of my favorite books are children’s books,” Kretschmer told the F STOP.
Based in Los Angeles, Kretschmer grew up in an artistic family. He took up photography by the time he was 13 under the tutelage of his father, who happened to be a photo instrumentation engineer at McDonell Douglas during the famous Mercury and Apollo space missions. “My ideas are conjured-up by my dreams and desires of what life could be, if only… They are commentaries on the human condition and seek to embrace the strengths and weaknesses we all share; illustrated through quirk and irony,” says Kretschmer.
His imaginative creations will make you feel like you’re sitting in front of your computer decked out in 3D glasses! As you can see Kretschmer has been at this for some time, so try not to get blown away…
See more of Kretschmer’s interesting work on Tumblr.