Zardo - AKA Behrouz Riahi

Mr. Riahi, who puts himself/his work under the title, "Zardo" is a self-taught photographer who initially pursued psychology (and I imagine he still does). His Belgian roots influence him somewhat, emulating Begian artists such as Magritte and Delvaux; Tim Burton is also a big influence.
Zardo's work mostly consists of landscapes/architecture, all of which have a dramatic, "epic" look to them. Of course these photos have been digitally altered, but in a way that earns him places in galleries. Strong colors and soft elements make you want to have your breath taken away by the landscapes. The wide angles and wide focal range make everything pleasantly visible. The surreal/drawn & painted feeling makes me think that these places are fictional, but the very-much real architecture or grounded subjects (trees, stones, etc. in his landscapes where there are no buildings) remind me that I could go to these beautiful places myself. His inclusion of menacing clouds/surreal effects are partially what makes these photos so Tim Burton-like; they remind me of Burton's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. What I find kind of funny is that some photos indicate a strong sun/strong sunlight could be present, but Zardo increases the contrast between the light and the rest of the scene so much that the image is almost contradictory within itself.
One thing that sort of perturbed me was that some of Zardo's photos seemed unbalanced in the way that the camera/image could have been leveled.