(Part One in an Eight-Part Series on Amazingly Creative Photography and Photographers)

Photography is one of the most accessible forms of art. Even without special training or a vast knowledge of the technical details involved, one can pick up a camera and make a photograph. And like all other forms of art, photography allows for a great deal of variance in method and subject matter. These artists use unique tools and subjects to create compelling artistic images.

Tammy Mercure

(images via: Tammy Mercure)

Tammy Mercure uses a variety of methods, but the photographs above were made with a pinhole camera. This ancient form of photography lends an otherworldly feel to photographs. Lines are softened and the images look dream-like and surreal. Tammy Mercure’s subject matter – the offbeat attractions at the Wisconsin Dells – adds to the unique appearance of her photographs.

Glenn Nelson

(images via: CM2P Photography)

Glenn Nelson‘s photography features a tiny world that most of us are completely unfamiliar with. These photos may look a little like stills from a movie, but they are high-resolution photographs of action figures, toys, and vehicle models. The photographer’s artistry is apparent in the fantastic compositions, creative backgrounds, and perfect lighting.

Stefan Eberhard

(images via: Stefan Eberhard)

Have you ever wondered what goes on in the world that is invisible to the naked eye? Stefan Eberhard takes photomicrographs to a whole new level by moving them out of the chemistry lab and into the art world. Combining photography and microscopy, these images show common chemicals like Vitamin C, Miracle Grow, and fertilizer more closely than most of us have ever seen them.

Stephen Seko

(images via: Stephen Seko)

Not all photographers are interested in using the latest and greatest photographic equipment. Some, in fact, are happier using one of the lowest-tech cameras they can find. Stephen Seko is one of those photographers. He uses a Holga camera, which is known as something of a cult phenomenon among photographers. This small, inexpensive medium-format camera produces images that are grainy, slightly distorted, and feature significant vignetting around the edges. These characteristics are used by creative photographers who appreciate the unique look that the camera’s flaws give the photographs.

Robert M. Johnson

artistic photographers robert m johnson

(images via: Full Frame Images)

Photography captures a unique moment in time that would otherwise have passed by and been forgotten. Through the photographer’s eye, each moment has the potential to be an eternal moment preserved on film. Robert M. Johnson’s “Street Documentary” photographs illustrate the feeling that everyday American life is full of art and beauty – if you just know how to frame it.

Narmi Michejda

(images via: Techne)

Some photographs start out with an object, some with a theme. Polish photographer Narmi Michejda starts with something far more abstract: an idea. This photographer’s work is inspired by the philosophies of Nietzsche, the poetry of Paul Celan, and the theories of Jacques Derrida. She has traveled to many places in Europe and beyond, capturing these difficult-to-define feelings in photographs.

Daniel Lee

Some of the most compelling and memorable photographs rely not only on the photographer’s skill, but on his or her skill with photo editing software. This is evident today in the sheer number of artistically manipulated photographs. Daniel Lee has taken photo manipulation to a unique and often disturbing level. He uses photographs of humans and animals and morphs them together, creating nightmarish but lovable hybrid creatures that challenge our ideas of evolution – both past and future.