His latest and greatest project with NASA is his longest to date; taking a staggering nine years to complete. As you can imagine, getting close and personal with NASA is not an easy feat so the first five years were spent finding the right connections that would eventually lead him to getting through their door. Past and Present Dreams of the Future is probably his most monumental work that has fully captured the way he likes to see the world. His iconic style comes from his view of the world; objects are separated from spaces drowned in visual noise, reminiscent of architectural drawings. These 200 objects came from his own exploration of the facilities where he spotted multiple objects in glassed cabinets.
Being fascinated with space exploration since the age of 11, he had the chance to meet the giants that he once followed with curious eyes through a black-and-white cathode ray tube TV. He knew that not many people get this chance and for him it was as if he met his inanimate idols so the finest equipment was used to make the best out of this encounter. The cameras used are the Hasselblad 503CW and the Phase One IQ3 which capture incredible amounts of detail and have allowed him to print these shots in giant sizes. For him, the whole project and the chance he was given were a true privilege to him. Each of the objects to him is a representation of the great values of humanity: learning, improvement and exploration.
His NASA project was not the only space exploration photoshoot as he had the chance to visit the European Southern Observatory in the Atacama desert. The photoshoot took place one year prior to the latter one and it gave him the chance to observe the giant pieces of technology that act as our eyes in the skies. Once again, his style shines and thrives in such an environment and he managed to produce some mind shattering shots of the advanced machinery and technology, as well as of the surrounding landscaping lines and even an astrophotographical shot that demonstrates the absolute lack of light pollution on the location.
With a project such as Past and Present Dreams of the Future under his belt, you would think it is hard for his other projects to shine through but you could not be any more wrong. A great example is the Aston Martin Valkyrie photoshoot of 2017. Playing with his simplistic vision of photography and composition, the car placed in a backdrop full of geometrical lines that subtly contrast the flowing, almost natural lines of the Valkyrie. Again, the background is nothing but a subtle amplifier to the object sitting in front; making it easy for you to absorb all of the details.
Another stellar example of automotive work is his work for Esquire, shooting the McLaren P1 and F1. Shot at McLaren's headquarters, the shoot has followed his signature visual language. The F1 is one of the most legendary supercars in the world and the composition naturally leads your visual attention towards the car thanks to the leading lines carefully picked by Benedict. Closeups of the P1 highlight all the beautiful, intricate shapes of the car while seemingly keeping the image pure and simple.
His portfolio extends much, much further than this and it is simply impossible to encapsulate all the visual richness of his photoshoots in an article which is why we recommend heading over to his website here to discover all his projects as well as to purchase his published book of all the NASA photographies.
