Brian Oldham (BO): I think that's a good way of describing it. It could be also called Magic Realism, which is by definition a mixture of fact and fantasy.

 VM: What drew you to photography? What inspires you? 

BO: What draws me to photography is the ability it presents to create surreal artwork in the most realistic way possible: believable scenes, scenes that look so realistic that you have to question whether or not something is actually there or happening. I use realistic lighting and editing techniques. I don't want any of my images to look "photoshopped", and I try to avoid that through minimal compositing.

I try to take in inspiration from all around me and from all aspects of my life. From my past experiences, my emotions, nature, my plans for the future, or even things that I may see on a day to day basis.

 VM: So you're driving out the desert and stumble upon an old mattress on the side of the road and a lush, swampy river. You decide to shoot sleeping to dream. Was it a spontaneous shoot? How did you convince the model lay on that mattress? (Love her black dress by the way.) 

BO: Thank you! Well, I actually already had the concept planned out before discovering the mattress I ended up using, but had never been able to get my hands on a mattress that I could use. It was almost too perfect when I came across the swamp and saw the mattress sitting nearby on the side of the road. The model and I dragged it through the swamp to get it in the spot I wanted to use, and then I just asked her to lay on it. She was a really good sport about it and laid where I asked her without any complaint. I was surprised especially considering that I didn't even want to touch it after seeing the bugs crawling across it.

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