The surreal and striking photos taken by Benjamin Von Wong, BEng’08, almost look too good to be true. As a result, he gets his fair share of sceptics who think his Mad Max and Lord of the Rings-inspired shots are entirely CGI or Photoshop creations – which is why he regularly posts videos online detailing how his otherworldly photos are created.
The video for “Mermaids Hate Plastic,” a photoshoot depicting a mermaid swimming in an ocean made up of 10,000 water bottles, has been viewed more than 120,000 times on YouTube since being uploaded last December.
“I hope the project’s lifespan doesn’t end after a month or two,” says Von Wong. “I hope it increases in relevance over time and continues to impact people.”
For the past year and a half, Von Wong has shifted the focus of his fantastical photography from fictional worlds come to life to conservation awareness. “Mermaids Hate Plastic,” for instance, sends the message that if the average American uses 167 plastic bottles a year, that number would hit 10,000 over the course of 60 years – and each of those bottles takes about 450 years to disintegrate.
The shoot was done at a warehouse in the West Island over the course of a week while Von Wong, who now lives in San Francisco, was back in town for his sister’s wedding.
“I actually got the idea for the mermaid from the designer of my sister’s wedding dress, because they created these awesome mermaid tails,” Von Wong says. Through a friend, he received the 10,000 plastic bottles from a local waste management company. Dozens of volunteers were recruited to help put the shoot together.
There’s no simple formula to Von Wong’s photoshoots, although they usually start with some sort of jaw-dropping element to build upon. Sometimes he travels across the world for the perfect shot; other times all he needs is the right landfill.
“I stood near lava. I swam with sharks. I’ve had people sit on the edge of a skyscraper,” he explains.
“Having that starting point is important, but it’s also where I struggle the most. Because a lot of my projects are personal works and not corporately funded. When you have these budget and access constraints, it’s not just about coming up with an idea, it’s about coming up with something that can actually be done. I have a lot of ideas that float around my head, and they all focus on trying to be extravagant, unique and catchy. And then I try to infuse it with purpose somehow.”
Von Wong’s love for photography came late during his time at McGill. He picked it up as a hobby while working on a mining engineering internship in Nevada in 2007.
“A girl broke up with me while I was working in the desert and I felt that if I didn’t find a new hobby I’d go crazy,” he explains. “The stars were pretty [out there] and I thought, ‘why not learn how to take pictures of them?’ So I went and bought a camera.”
Upon his return to Montreal, he joined the University’s Photography Students Society. He graduated not long after and worked in mining engineering until 2012. During that time, photography was a side hustle on weekends and evenings; he did event photography and gradually invested the money in better photo equipment. Eventually, he decided to pursue photography full-time.
His work continues to attract attention. Popular Photography Magazine describes him as “something of a mad scientist when it comes to working out clever and cool photoshoots.”
His recent focus on environmental themes was sparked by a project that involved storm chasing.
“The main difference between my environmental work and my previous work is I have to think about the real world impact. I have to think about reception, and how I’m going to deliver the message, because if I preach, people won’t want to hear. There’s more to consider, but the rewards of doing something with value is significant to me.”
With more than half-a-million followers on social media, Von Wong is in a position to make a difference. His most recent work, “Mad Max meets Trump’s America,” focuses on a post-apocalyptic world where coal pollution has had a devastating effect and breathable oxygen is a precious commodity.
The reception he’s received so far from his work has encouraged him to continue down this path.
“The [‘Mermaids Hate Plastic’] photoshoot changed my own attitude towards plastics,” he says. “Beyond that, I know the photo shoot had an impact on a few people because they’ve reached out to me. It could mean thousands of plastic items not being thrown out, so scaling it out over even just a few people, it makes a difference. Did it change the world? No, but reducing any amount of plastic being used in the world is meaningful to me.”
It’s also possible that over time, Von Wong’s distinctive style could change.
“I’ve been trying to think of ways to dial down my style,” he admits. “I’d like to keep it cinematic, but make it look more anchored in reality.”
