Gallerie

You Can't Fake That

The Surreal World of Noah Wetzel

You Can't Fake That
Mali Noyes sinks into a deep turn at twilight in Little Cottonwood Canyon, UT. Mali and I had never shot together before, and this was our first frame. When shooting action with wireless flashes, you often only get one frame so the pressure is on for both the athlete and the photographer. I love how you can see the impact of Mali’s pole basket on the snow surface.
Words: Alex Hunt, Photos and Captions: Noah Wetzel

Five equestrians stand by as Noah Wetzel methodically checks flash triggers, then checks them again. In just a few moments, the moon will slide in front of the early afternoon sun, all will go dark, and the wild west scene in the Texas Hill Country that Wetzel has mapped out in his head for months will become reality.

In the surreal world of Wetzel, nothing is ever quite as it appears. Whether concealing wireless flashes behind bushes or dangling a high-powered headlamp from a drone to replicate midnight moonlight, the 38-year-old Salt Lake City, UT-based photographer has been known to dress natural landscapes like a Hollywood set.

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