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Mexico Surreal: Travelling photographer shines fresh light on Mexican life and tourism

In his series Mexico Surreal, Quebec photographer Benoit Paillé experiments with just coloured gels and flash to produce the most eclectic documentation of the country and its people, as well as the exploitation of mass tourism.

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Palm fronds illuminated with vibrant yellow and hot pink gels and flash lighting against a dark night sky

Avoiding extensive digital retouching, and using only Lightroom for development – Benoit's editing facilities are limited due to his current living situation – he's spent the past three years being on the road, living in a small camper van that's wired with its own solar panel.

In 2013, he chose to transform his life in an attempt to transform his art. It was a radical decision, but one that since has offered plenty of opportunities to be creative. Travelling to places that interest him the most, Benoit likes to settle himself in countryside or city locations – that's whether he's by the sea or stuck in the middle of an industrial district or strange parking lot – and document what he sees.

He explains: "All the pictures I take are not set-up, they are spontaneous using the real flash effect and people on site. My subjects remains mostly strangers or friends that I often juxtapose to a cheesy panorama with a powerful immersive aesthetic."

To discover more, visit www.benoitp.com.

Via Behance | All images courtesy of Benoit Paillé

Camper van illuminated in vibrant pink and red light beneath a starry night sky, with palm trees and flowering plants in the foreground
Neon-lit colourful fence posts beside a beach at night, with hot pink branches overhead and glowing green and red water from flash photography
View through a neon pink-lit car interior onto a desert highway with a figure in pink clothing standing in the distance under a blue sky
A person in a pink shirt lies on neon-lit palm fronds against a starry night sky in Benoit Paillé's Mexico Surreal series
Industrial machinery and vehicles illuminated in vibrant pink and red neon light on a beach at night, with palm fronds and starry sky above
Man with long hair and yellow beaded necklace stands in front of vibrant red and green palm fronds, lit with coloured flash gels
Waves break on a tropical beach at night, illuminated in vibrant green by coloured gel lighting, with palm trees and a fenced property glowing behind the shore
Neon pink vertical light illuminates a rural landscape at dusk, casting vibrant magenta tones across overgrown grassland with dilapidated structures and trees silhouetted against a dark blue sky
Person in red standing on a neon pink structure in shallow turquoise water under a twilight sky, photographed by Benoit Paillé for Mexico Surreal
Photographer emerges from a dense field of prickly pear cacti beneath a dramatic stormy blue sky in this image from Benoit Paillé's Mexico Surreal series
Benoit Paillé's camper van sits alone in a vast high-altitude plateau dotted with turquoise vegetation beneath stormy mountain peaks and grey clouds
Underwater photograph showing wooden posts and rope lines on the sandy seabed, illuminated in turquoise by flash photography against darkness above
An open hand rises from calm sea water against a clear blue sky, fingers adorned with colourful jewelled nail art in pink, turquoise and purple
A red sailboat sits in twilight waters with glowing red plants illuminated in the shallow foreground, framed by golden palm fronds above and autumn foliage at the edges
Woman in pink cardigan standing against a vibrant magenta wall at dusk, with a car and buildings visible behind her in a moody purple-toned landscape
Abandoned concrete structure with yellow tower on a small island surrounded by bright pink-dyed water under a partly cloudy sky
A concrete pier with yellow and white striped markings extends into crystal-clear turquoise water revealing the rocky seabed below under a dark blue sky
Moonlit beach scene with vibrant red branches hanging from above and luminous water in shades of green, orange and pink below
Bright red spiky plant leaves radiating outward against a blue sky with white clouds and intense sunlight
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