Probably one of the single images I receive the most questions about is this one above. I created this image for Bass Pro Shops. The advertisement surrounding this image was lightweight hunting systems ready for the mountains.
The entire image was created in studio. Which surprises a lot of people. I worked closely with the set stylist to bring this image to life. We gathered all the rocks, grass, gravel, moss and built the platform on 4x4 plywood supported by three construction saw horses.
The mountains, were made from foamcore! There are 4 layers there, and the susnset? Well that too is not the sun! It is a studio light with a gel simulating the color and the mist was a product we call canned atmosphere.
The point is that you don’t need exotic locations, but you do need a clear objective. From there creativity and ingenuity will deliver the final results. This is an excellent example of how a clear objective brought a photograph to life.