Anton Yelchin Was A Photographer, Too

TMZ reported early Sunday morning that 27-year-old actor Anton Yelchin died in a freak car accident outside his home. According to Yelchin's rep, the young star was "killed in a fatal traffic collision early this morning. His family requests you respect their privacy at this time." It is always terrible to lose a great talent, which Yelchin's work in Like Crazy and Star Trek proved him to be. But it is especially tragic to lose someone so young, and with so much potential. Not only was Yelchin an accomplished actor, he was a photographer, too — and Yelchin's Instagram is a testament to his many talents.

Update: The LAPD released a statement confirming the details of Yelchin's death, revealing that the actor's car rolled backwards down his driveway, "pinning him against a brick mailbox pillar and security fence."

In 2012, the actor started a Tumblr showcasing his various portraits and other calmly detached photos. On the first post, Yelchin wrote, "welcome i will post pictures some will be unsuitable for minors (legally speaking)." He continued to share some of these photos on his personal photography Instagram. Yelchin's Instagram is full of unsettling portraits with vibrant red lights, creepy landscapes, and a few self portraits in which he stares with an all-knowing look into his camera.

In his last self portrait posted on his Instagram, taken at Nantasket Beach, Yelchin stands in front of the ocean and frowns at the camera he holds at shoulder length with his brow furrowed. The caption reads "nantasket #35mm #antonyelchin #egoist." It's a simple scene, but Yelchin managed to capture so much with just this one impressive photograph.

The world has lost a great talent at far too young of an age. The only solace for this loss is that we can continue to view his artwork and films for years to come. Watching Yelchin's performance as Pavel Chekov in Star Trek or Jacob in Like Crazy, or simply viewing his photography, will forever be tinged with sadness, but we can at least be grateful his talent made it into the world.

Images: Instagram/antonyelchinphoto