Erik Johansson: What Lies Beneath

Imagine a fish out of water and you’d probably think of a wet, scaly thing flapping about on the floor. Now look at Erik Johansson’s Fishy Island and you’ll see a whole new slant on the idea.

The image’s focus is on an oversized fish, just breaking the water to reveal its back, which is actually an island. Crazy, you’d think, but the Swedish photographer and retoucher has a knack for making this sort of thing look surprisingly normal. It’s a piece typical of his distinct portfolio.

“Most of the ideas come from just looking at something then trying to think differently about it,” explains the 26-year-old, “but I always try to get a realistic result as if it could’ve been captured.”

Raised on a farm near the small Swedish town of Götene, the surrounding countryside became an influence for his photography when he received a digital camera at the age of 15. An avid drawer, the ideas were always there, but the camera added a new dimension to his thinking. “I wanted to do more with the photos and it was quite natural for me to create something original by manipulating the pictures.”

Churning out personal work while studying computer engineering, requests from Gothenburg ad agencies began to flood in and since finishing his studies last year, he’s been freelancing full time, producing both commissioned and personal projects. “It always starts with a sketch and I always try to carry a notepad,” explains Johansson. “The planning is the most important thing really and it makes a difference.

Personal projects don’t have the deadline, so I like to leave them for a week or so and come back to them with a fresh, new idea.” He adds that the timescale of a particular project can range from a week to a few years and the deadlines for commissioned work can be tough if, for example, he has to scout out a location.

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