Spend enough time building your brand as the photographer du jour for crazy and interesting stunts, and your next assignment might come in form of a challenge. That's what happened to Benjamin Von Wong when Nike sent him a pair of shoes and a personalized note: What would you do if you could walk on air? A little clicha crazy idea, with a community impact twist.
So he chose 'everyday athletes' who were making a difference in their communities, came up with a harness system that would let him dangle them off of a building (a 7-story building for the ones who were scared of heights, or a 30-story skyscraper for those who said they weren't), and set to work turning this idea into photo-reality.
You can watch the adventure unfold in the video below:
As you can probably imagine, there were a ton of challenges to overcome between idea and execution. What kind of harness system would be safe, effective, and comfortable enough to use for long periods of time? How would non-professional models cope with the stresses of this unusual photo shoot? Would the photos even turn out?
In short: yes. The photos did indeed turn out:
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The final images are polished and fun, making it all seem easy and effortless (the whole "walking on air" theme). But more revealing are the behind the scenes photos Ben shared with us. They reveal the struggle behind creating effortless looking images while dangling off a skyscraper:
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To learn more about this shoot, the purpose behind it, the community activists featured in it, or the photographer taking the shots, head over to Von Wong's blog post where he dives a bit deeper.
All photos by Benjamin Von Wong and used with permission.
. dpreview.com2017-10-4 20:00