Transforming famous landmarks is somewhat of an art for photographer Rich McCor. McCor or paperboyo on Instagram garnered acclaim through his innovative images. The account is comprised of a series of photos reimagining iconic landmarks in a playful and artistic manner. The London-based photographer with a Canon 6D camera in hand uses black cutouts and puts them on the foreground of his photos to link the cutouts to the landmarks. McCor uses Photoshop to add the finishing touches to each of his images and the results are stunning.
photography by Rich McCor
Where It All Started
McCor came upon this idea about seven years ago when he was creating paper cutouts and sets out of cardboard for a friend’s music video. He tells Digital art magazine that “Using paper was our way of bringing ambitious narratives to life with no budget. Through this, I learnt about paper craft and it became a hobby that I kept up”. McCor’s hobby quickly became a trend when he began posting cutouts juxtaposed over famous landmarks in London. The images he shared on his Instagram gained traction. His following increased and came to include travel photographers and businesses. “I was lucky enough that people shared them around which led to a range of offers with brands and tourist boards this year”. McCor mentions that the image that actually started it all was one where he transformed Big Ben into the London Eye.
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Cutouts Around Famous Landmarks
Since his beginning in London, McCor has had a variety of backdrops for his silhouettes, from Singapore to New York. McCor has traveled far and wide, motivated by his hobby. His silhouettes of famous landmarks include Spiderman hanging off a building in New York. Another interesting one is the weightlifting statue of liberty. McCor took the photo at the New York-New York resort in Las Vegas rather than the real thing.The creative process isn’t always easy for McCor. He uses a scalpel and cutout board, and he might have to work on intricate designs for hours. He admits cutting out facial features presents a challenge for him and that the simpler an idea is the better. McCor enjoys traveling to different destinations, but he seems to have taken a liking to Asia in particular: “Tokyo’s architecture is really fascinating, and I think that city, in general, would be the perfect playground for what I do”
