A PHOTOGRAPHY art exhibition exploring the line between reality and fantasy has opened at Bournemouth University.

Created by Rehan Zia, as a part of his PhD thesis, the multi-shot, blended photographs allow for the capture of greater detail in a single photograph to enhance the image to show detail beyond what the naked eye alone can perceive.

Titled, Landscapes on the Cusp of the Real & the Fantastic - Photography by Rehan Zia, the photography artwork allows greater flexibility to craft the look of the image in line with the look conceived in the mind’s eye whilst minimising ghosting and other lens and camera artefacts.

Creator Rehan Zia said: “As a visual effects artist, I have always been intrigued by the idea of the viewer's notion of the real and the unreal in visual images. With my images, I am trying to experiment with and challenge this notion by combining scene elements that are familiar to viewers but depicting them in a way that they appear unfamiliar in terms of the lighting, tonality and detail.”

All photographs were taken of real world environments, with several pictures layered on top of one another to enhance detail and bring the beauty of the scene to life. The scene details and the look can only be revealed through the camera and cannot be experienced by the naked eye.

The images depict scenes such as Bournemouth in the snow, with other locations such as Hengistbury Head and famous Pakistani landscapes also included.

Rehan, a lecturer in Computer Animation and Visual Effects at Bournemouth University, plans to continue to explore the art of digital photography, and how it can be used to blend both art and reality together.

The exhibition runs until December 20 and is open to all in the Lees Gallery, on Bournemouth University’s Talbot Campus.