Photographic Illusions: Collage and Digital Compositing

Hugh Kretschmer is a professional photo-illustrator born and raised in LA, California. One of seven children, he was raised among artists and at the age of 13, his father, a photo-instrumentation engineer for McDonnell, introduced him to his first camera. He later went on to receive an Honors in his fine art Bachelor’s degree from the ArtCenter College of Design, before moving to New York to begin his career.

His work has been described as fanciful, curious, imaginative, unusual, and even a little creepy. Whether whimsical or somewhat more serious, none of his pieces lack his characteristic touch of quirk and irony. Throughout the years, he has been recognized by the International Photography Awards, American Photography, Communication Arts, PDN Photo Annual, and The Society of Publication Designers. His work has also appeared in numerous industry publications, books, podcasts, and blogs including Graphis, Juxtapoz, Plastik Magazine, and Vision Magazine as well as auctioned through Sotheby’s and placed on permanent display at the 9/11 memorial. Additionally, he has given workshops both nationally and internationally and is a regular team leader at The Eddie Adams Workshop.