In this series, we’ll look deeper into some of the projects on Behance.net that were especially admired in our community. This time, we spoke with Nathan Spotts, a freelance photographer in California who studied at San Francisco’s Academy of Art. In his project “Unrealistic Scenes,” he created stunning images of scenes that are “not-quite real, but that almost could be.”

What was your inspiration for this project?
Science Fiction and astronomy! I’ve been a rabid sci-fi fan ever since I could read, and the visuals in many sci-fi films have been groundbreaking and breathtaking. I wanted to bring that feeling of out-of-this-world awe to my photography. At the same time, these images are also a representation of what exists above us. I’ve noticed that people don’t look up very often, but I am one that does.

Can you describe your process in creating this project?
First is the concepting phase, fleshing out the idea. Finding locations and photographing them is the next step, which often can take some time due to travel and weather. Editing and development takes place in Lightroom, and then the photos are moved to Photoshop for compositing. Blending of the sky, ocean, and stars is done with adjustment layers and masks. Once the photos are blended, some global adjustments and retouching is done for finishing touches. Each image in the project tends to get more complicated not just visually, but in the layer stack as well, so the project is also a way for me to push myself technically and conceptually.

Did anything interesting happen as a result of the success of this project? (fans contacting you, job opportunities, blogs picking it up, etc).
Only the launching of my actual art career! Job opportunities, reps, magazines, galleries, and many other people have taken an interest in my work as a result of the popularity of the project. My thanks goes out to the people who helped make it happen!

Did you expect it to be as popular as it’s been on The Behance Network?
Not at all, but it’s been a pleasant surprise! Seeing my work featured on the front page and PhotographyServed were great things to wake up to.

Do you feel that this project is “done,” or is there anything you’d like to improve on or change in the future?
I view this as an ongoing project that I have been and will continue to add new work to. Our artistic styles never stop developing, and this project serves as a way for myself and others to look back a bit at my work and see how it’s evolved since I started the project in 2009.