# Illusory Fashion Photography Brian Walker's Ironic 'Plastic Fantastic' By Elsa Blaine | Published 2008-07-28 | Unique Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/illusory-fashion-photography-brian-walkers-ironic-plastic-fantastic References: [neublack](http://www.neublack.com/art-design/brian-walker/) & [lickthesun](http://www.lickthesun.com/index.htm) These wild images are actually some of the tamer ones from contemporary photographer Brian Walker's web site titled “Lick the Sun”. Walker takes a [satirical look at current fashion trends](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/selkies-the-libertine-collection) and extremes and creates these [surreal images](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/surreal-street-art-1) melding elements of real women with added mannequin bits and some very good Photoshopping to make a, “seamless illustration between reality and make believe.” The images shown here are cleverly titled: “Fifty Lashes”, “Step Four”, “Noodle Philosophy”, “Tuesday Draw”, ”Does my Hair Look Big in This?”, “Birdoned by the Sea”, “Read the Card First”, “Redrum”, “Batteries Included”. As Walker says, “I like the visual language of my images to appear [hyper real](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/looks-delicious), as if they could exist but a second take reveals something amiss or askew. The perfection of a single detail or the impossibility between elements is what I continue to find fascinating.” ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 6.7/10 - Popularity: 99% | Activity: 95% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 10% men, 90% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Unique](https://www.trendhunter.com/unique) > [Bizarre](https://www.trendhunter.com/bizarre) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Surreal Fashion Photography:** Innovation opportunity for fashion brands to showcase their products in a unique and unconventional way. - **Photo-manipulation Art:** Opportunity for digital artists to experiment with combining real and digital elements to create thought-provoking art pieces. - **Criticism Through Art:** Innovation opportunity for artists to use their work as a means to criticize and satirize current social and cultural trends. ### Where This Applies - **Fashion:** Opportunity for fashion brands to collaborate with photographers and artists to create visually striking marketing campaigns. - **Digital Art:** Opportunity for digital artists to showcase their work in exhibitions and collaborate with fashion brands for innovative projects. - **Contemporary Art:** Opportunity for galleries and museums to showcase works that challenge societal norms and provoke critical thought. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Unique Artistic Books](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/amusebouche.md) - [Artful Suspended Fashion Exhibitions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/invisible-figures.md) - [Surrealist Beauty Lines](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/toiletpaper-magazine.md) - [Disruptive Fashion Art Galleries](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dirty-looks.md) - [Statement Street Art](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/surreal-street-art-1.md) - [AI-Generated Poetic Photo Series](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/emilio-alarcn.md) - [Blurry Abstract Photography Exhibits](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/optical-allusion.md) - [Apocalypse Post Pandemic Art](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/contemporary-urban-art.md) - [Surrealist Pop-Up Installations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/surrealist-popup.md)