Photographer Visualizes Mankind’s First Steps on Planet Mars

Using his passion for unexplored worlds as inspiration, visual artist Julien Mauve created a series of imaginative and otherworldly photos that reveal what our potential future could look like. Mauve has been especially intrigued by the planet Mars, which he believes will be explored by humans in less than 50 years. (In fact, both NASA and SpaceX are working to make this a reality with the hopes of that this locale being a reliable living destination in the future.)

The photographer created Greetings From Mars to help envision what our first steps on the red planet may look like. After wondering about the Mars experience, the artist sought out locations that resembled the small planet and utilized them as backgrounds in this series. Several snapshots show an astronaut taking selfies and posing like a tourist. Not only was Mauve envisioning a futuristic journey, he was also commenting on how human beings interact with nearby landscapes.

“I came up with this project, which is about space exploration and discovery,” the visionary artist states. “But it’s also about our behavior in front of landscapes and how we create pictures that will share our personal story with the world. It’s interesting to observe the way we act in front of the camera, how we include ourselves in the landscapes, how those landscapes trigger the desire to affirm our presence. And how the way we take pictures exposes the vanity involved in our endless pursuit of self-definition.”