60 Awesome Examples of Tilt-Shift Photography to Make Marvelous Miniature Worlds

August 6th, 2014 Permalink

One of the reasons photographers use tilt-shift is to make life-size locations look like photos of miniature scale models. Tilt-shift photography is not only used for miniature faking, but these miniatures reminded us of the song “He’s got the whole world in his hands.” So let’s do some virtual globe hopping to view amazing miniature worlds in which city-scapes appear like toy cities. [60 Photos]

St. Peter's, Vatican City in tilt shift

St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City in tilt shift. This type of “tilt-shift photography” can be done either by tilting the camera lens to distort the plane of focus and shifting the lens to distort the perspective, or via software. Photo #1 by Ondablv

Felixstowe sea front miniature

“Tilt shift” of Felixstowe, a seaside town on the North Sea coast of Suffolk, England, simulates a miniature scene. Photo #2 by Steve Arnold



Corniglia in Italy, tilt shift

Corniglia in northern Italy sits 100 meters above the sea. Photo #3 by Nauris Pukis

Tilt-shifting Tokyo from the Sky Tree

Tilt-shifting Tokyo from the Sky Tree. ♬ It’s a small world after all…♬. Photo #4 by of other days

Tilt-shift miniature of Machu Picchu

Tilt-shift miniature of Machu Picchu. Photos taken from an elevated viewpoint, or aerial views work well for tilt-shift photography. Photo #5 by Adrian

Winter tilt shift scene of  Haute-Nendaz, Canton of Valais, Switzerland

Winter tilt shift scene of Haute-Nendaz, Canton of Valais, Switzerland. Edges of the photo are blurred to simulate the effect of a macro lens. Photo #6 by Marc Biarnès

Toy Trucks in Mannez Quarry, tilt shift

Toy Trucks in Mannez Quarry, a station on the Alderney Railway, in the island of Alderney. Photo #7 by Neil Howard

Tilt shift of Grenoble, France at night

Nighttime at Grenoble, France. Photo #8 by Paul Dufouleur

Tilt shift of Iglesia de San Bernardo in Spain

Tilt shift of Iglesia de San Bernardo in Spain. Photo #9 by Eduardo Millo

Calgary from Air in Tilt Shift Miniature

Calgary from air then tilt-shifted into a miniature. If you cock your head just right, the scene almost looks like a motherboard. Photo #10 by Dhinakaran Gajavarathan

Playing with tilt-shift setting from Bluff Lookout, Napier

Playing with tilt-shift setting from Bluff Lookout, Napier. Photo #11 by hockadilly

Tropical toy town, tilt shift landscape

This tropical-flavored landscape looks like it could belong to a toy town. Photo #12 by Jean Barbosa

Tilt shift to make miniature Gatwick Airport in London, UK

Tilt shift to make miniature Gatwick Airport in London, UK. Photo #13 by disparkys

Tilt Shift Paris Series, Avenue Kleber

Avenue Kleber in Paris. Photo #14 by George Otoiu

Miniature of people playing in the waters of Cala Macarelleta, Menorca

Miniature people playing in the waters of Cala Macarelleta, Menorca. Photo #15 by Lali Masriera

Build A Bridge, tilt shift in Lithuania

Bridge in Lithuania. Photo #16 by Dom Wake

Funicular Como-Brunate, tilt shift of cable car in Spain

Cable car in Spain. Photo #17 by JeRoseL’06

Big miniature world, tilt shift of Siam Square, Bangkok

Big miniature world, tilt shift of Siam Square, Bangkok. Photo #18 by Sippanont Samchai

Miniature Tehran, tilt shifted Iran. Photo #20 by Sam Javanrouh

Kinda shifty style, miniature historic village of Shirakawa-gō, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Kinda shifty style, miniature historic village of Shirakawa-gō, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Photo #21 by Baron Reznik

Miniature town of Sulzburg, Germany

Miniature town of Sulzburg, Germany. Photo #22 by nothing to hide

This is Mexico, tilt shift style

This is Mexico, tilt shift style. Photo #23 by Octavio Alonso Maya Castro

Harpers Ferry, Miniature

“Harpers Ferry NPS, West Virginia, from Maryland Heights. To the left is the Shenandoah River and to the right is the Potomac. The train tracks service Amtrak, MARC, and CSX freight.” Photo #24 by Jason OX4

Saint Louis Busch Stadium in tilt shift miniature

Saint Louis Busch Stadium. Photo #26 by Thomas Gehrke

This is what it would be like if the highway was your playground

This is what it would be like if the highway was your playground. Photo #27 by

Communications Palace in Mexico City

Communications Palace in Mexico City. Photo #28 by Octavio Alonso Maya Castro

Playin' in the land of the giants, tilt shift Vancouver

Playin’ in the land of the giants, tilt shift Vancouver. Photo #29 by Evan Leeson

San Martin Bridge in Toledo, Spain, tilt shift style

San Martin Bridge is a medieval bridge across the river Tajo in Toledo, Spain. Photo #30 by Marc

Znojmo dam tilt shift

Znojmo dam in the Czech Republic. Photo #31 by Pavel Kurfürst

Tilt shift of Chinatown, Liverpool, England

Tilt shift of Chinatown, Liverpool, England. Photo #32 by Joni Van Bogaert

Toytown Manchester, miniature model effect, tilt shift

Toytown Manchester, miniature model effect. Photo #33 by Yodatheoak

Travel in Euskadi tilt shift

Travel in Euskadi, Basque Country. Photo #34 by Lali Masriera

Tilt-shift panorama of Barcelona port

Tilt-shift panorama of Barcelona port. Photo #35 by Yiannis Chatzitheodorou

Tilt shift of shipyard at Hawke's Bay

Tilt shift of shipyard at Hawke’s Bay from Bluff Hill, Napier. Photo #36 by hockadilly

Tilt Shift of Vancouver International Airport

Vancouver International Airport. Photo #37 by Mohamad Zelna

Tilt-shift train in Hamburg Germany

Train in Hamburg, Germany. Photo #38 by Brendan Skinner

Mini Bath, a tilt-shifted view of Bath from Bathwick Hill

Mini Bath, view of Bath from Bathwick Hill. Photo #39 by Angel Ganev

Aircraft Carrier, toy aircraft, tilt shift of Fleet Air Arm Museum

Aircraft Carrier, toy aircraft, tilt shift of Fleet Air Arm Museum. Photo #40 by Angel Ganev

Tilt-Shift Airplane on San Francisco International Airport runway

San Francisco International Airport runway. Photo #41 by Mohamad Zelna

Tilt shift miniature of DiggerLand

DiggerLand in Rochester, England, United Kingdom. Photo #42 by Siddie Nam

Mannez Quarry, Alderney, Tilt-shift

Baby-sized boulders in Mannez Quarry. Photo #43 by Neil Howard

Tilt shift point of view miniaturizes town

Tilt shift point of view miniaturizes town. Photo #44 by Wai Meng Woon

Double minaret tilt shift in Erzurum, Turkey

Double minaret tilt shift in Erzurum, Turkey. Photo #45 by ismail su

Musée d'Orsay, tilt shift of museum in Paris France

Musée d’Orsay, museum in Paris. Photo #46 by Ben Perreau 1

Tilt-Shift Church Aerial shot

Tilt-shift church aerial shot. Photo #47 by cheeese

Fake tilt-shift using a real aerial, Canada

Fake tilt-shift using a real aerial, Canada. Photo #48 by Evan Leeson

Sydney, tilt-shifted

Sydney, tilt-shifted. Photo #49 by Becky EnVérité

Miniature Frankfurt

Miniature Frankfurt. Photo #50 by danieldinter

Gunwharf model

Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth, England looks like a model. Photo #51 by Jon KING

Miniature Mormon Temple Square

Miniature Mormon Temple Square. Photo #52 by Photo Dean

Tilt shift of Downtown Chicago

Downtown Chicago. Photo #54 by rytc

Idar-Oberstein Germany

Idar-Oberstein Germany. Photo #55 by Benoit Larochelle

Tilt shift point of view

Tilt shift point of view. Photo #58 by Wai Meng Woon

Tilt shift to toyland, Granville Island, Vancouver, British Columbia

Tilt shift to toyland, Granville Island, Vancouver, British Columbia. Photo #59 by Kenny Louie

Pt. Vicente Lighthouse Tilt-Shift

Pt. Vicente Lighthouse. Photo #60 by millerm217

The Sand Pit. A day in the life of New York City, in miniature. Video #1 by Sam O’Hare



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