Whether or not you realize it, you see Dan Winters' photos all the time: Brad Pitt on the cover of Wiredmagazine, Elijah Wood on Esquire, etc. About three years ago, he released a book of magazine work, of which he is a prolific producer. But he's also really into , , and, well, everything.
1 of 6
— For an article in which the writer recollects his childhood relationship with B movies, Winters and his crew found and tweaked this super-scary alien mask.
For
an article in which the writer recollects his childhood relationship with B movies, Winters and his crew found and tweaked this
super-scary alien mask.
/ Dan Winters
2 of 6
— The magazine republished a 1973 article in which Anthony Burgess muses on his book, A Clockwork Orange. That title is often associated with the unforgettable, eye-opening scene in Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation.
The magazine republished
a 1973 article in which Anthony Burgess muses on his book,
A Clockwork Orange. That title is often associated with the unforgettable, eye-opening scene in Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation.
/ Dan Winters
3 of 6
— A fiction piece told in tweet-style blurbs "was the hardest one to do photographically," Winters says.
A fiction piece told in tweet-style blurbs "was the hardest one to do photographically," Winters says.
/ Dan Winters
4 of 6
— For a short story "about a businessman's relationships," the abstract reads, Winters and his crew built a set and hired a former Olympian turned stuntman to do the jump.
For
a short story "about a businessman's relationships," the abstract reads, Winters and his crew built a set and hired a former Olympian turned stuntman to do the jump.
/ Dan Winters
5 of 6
— The only digital composite, this image is meant to look like it's from a forward looking infrared camera, a military aircraft technology.
/ Dan Winters
6 of 6
— One story is about a man's private personal Internet, "a really obtuse idea," says Winters. So he went with the literal concept of the Internet as a series of tubes.
/ Dan Winters
It's completely appropriate that his photos would illustrate The New Yorker's first-ever science fiction issue, which was out at the beginning of June.
The magazine commissioned Winters to shoot the whole issue, six photos in all. And, in typical fashion, to accompany stories about the future, Winters goes back in time with a large-format film camera.
On the topic of science fiction, Winters knows what's what. "My favorites movies are sci-fi movies," he says on the phone. Even these photos are full of references — both oblique ones to Blade Runner and the very obvious wink at Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange.
Actually, Winters himself makes a cameo in the magazine. That's his eye being pried open by a speculum. That part, he says, didn't hurt. "But my cornea really dried out," and the pain came later that day.
That's commitment.
You can see a video trailer for the magazine, also shot by Winters, or read more on the Photo Booth blog.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.