# Fashion Meltography Erwin Olaf's Subjects Fuse Into Their Backgrounds By Going Like Sixty | Published 2009-01-19 | Art & Design Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/head-melting-photos-art-through-the-lens-of-erwin-olaf References: [ifitshipitshere.blogspot](http://ifitshipitshere.blogspot.com/2009/01/erwin-olaf-elevating-retail-photography.html) Erwin Olaf is one of those photographers that magazine art directors and photo editors have on their list of “if-evers,” as in, “if ever I get the chance...” These photos were taken from a [gallery of work](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dirty-looks) he did for the [New York Times](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/command-brand-hannah-brown), but Erwin Olaf has done work for hundreds of titles and brands known worldwide. It's curious that Erwin Olaf's couture spread for the NYT in 2006 featured models fused into their surroundings. Since then, we've [seen](http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/faceless-and-invisible-trends-when-a-picture-does-not-speak-1000-words) over a dozen examples of other artists and photographers who've chosen to obscure the faces of their models. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 6.0/10 - Popularity: 77% | Activity: 95% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 10% men, 90% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Art & Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/artdesign) > [Modern](https://www.trendhunter.com/modern) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Fused Fashion Photography:** Opportunity for fashion photographers to create innovative and visually striking images by blending models seamlessly into their surroundings. - **Obscured Faces:** Increasing trend among artists and photographers to intentionally conceal or obscure the faces of their subjects, creating an air of mystery and intrigue in their work. - **Disruptive Couture Spreads:** Opportunity for couture brands and fashion publications to create disruptive and attention-grabbing spreads by featuring models fused into their backgrounds or with obscured faces. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Fashion Photography:** Fashion photographers can explore the trend of fusing models into their surroundings, creating innovative and captivating images for brands and publications. - **Art and Photography:** Artists and photographers can experiment with the trend of obscuring or concealing faces, adding an element of mystery and intrigue to their work. - **Couture Brands and Fashion Publications:** Couture brands and fashion publications can leverage the trend of fused fashion photography or obscured faces to create disruptive and memorable couture spreads that capture audience attention. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Artful Suspended Fashion Exhibitions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/invisible-figures.md) - [Unique Artistic Books](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/amusebouche.md) - [Painting-Immersive Photo Exhibits](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/new-ground-exhibition.md) - [Warped Dynamic New-Gen Eyewear](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/vern-morph-and-form.md) - [Identity-Exploring Clothing](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/shapes-we-take.md) - [Cinematic Fashion Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/alessandro-micheles.md) - [Body Paint Fashion Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/miley-cyrus-maison-margiela.md) - [Body Artwork-Inspired Fashion](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/body-tattoo.md) - [Disruptive Fashion Art Galleries](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dirty-looks.md)