Paris Is Transformed Into a Cotton-Candy Wonderland in Surreal Infrared Photos

Paris and the gardens of Versailles are well-worn territories for photographers, but John Kosmopoulos captures a fresh perspective on them thanks to his use of infrared photography. The photos are part of Kosmopoulos' Infrachroma series, which sees him traveling around the globe to give decidedly different views on the common cityscape. The pink hue of these photos allows the viewer to literally see the world through rose-colored glasses, and immerse themselves in a surreal world.

From the Eiffel Tower to the Arc de Triomphe to Versaille's beautifully manicured gardens, each scene is at once familiar yet unrecognizable. “When a familiar scene like the gardens of Versailles is made familiar-in-parallel through surreal, symbolic and sensory artistic expressions,” Kosmopoulos tells My Modern Met, “a perceptual twinning occurs that liberates the imagination to explore the power of place as a beautiful and colorful other-world.”

Through his work, the Canadian photographer seeks out the extraordinary in the ordinary. Fascinated by the relationship between photographer and viewer, and how an artist's vision can have an emotional impact on viewers, he's pushed himself to focus on moments of unexpected beauty.

And, of course, while we all know the Eiffel Tower is beautiful, the transformation of lush greenery into cotton-candy foliage gives the photos a different emotional response. His work upends our expectations in the best way possible and reminds us that even the smallest changes to what's familiar can create new sensations.