Digital image manipulation - or editing with software - has become a routine practice in photography. The range of changes that photo editors can make varies from correcting background lighting to transforming a human model's body type. More complicated image manipulation may take the touch of an expert, but some software programs, such as Photoshop, are commonly used by average computer users.
Photoshop these days is one of the most commonly used pieces of software. From the smallest to the largest artwork, Photoshop has delivered an excellent result and performance to accomplish our needs. For me it’s still like deep forest what for now leads me nowhere.
My first theme involve lots more manipulation and transformation, but unfortunately, I couldn’t arrange photo shoots in places what I wanted originally, so mainly I end up shooting only in studio. In the end I not satisfied, but time limits just were too tight.
Still processing my Theme I images I slowly starting understand that that’s all takes lots more time and lots more knowledge, which I actually do not have. Anybody can spend a couple of minutes working with an imaging software and change reality into another level - the professionals simply do it better and quicker.
However, digital image and manipulation go hand in hand under the descriptive words of "digital enhancement," referring to improving the quality of the photograph through software such as Adobe Photoshop - with whatever it takes to do so.
There are three types of diorama photographs you can take:
showing the whole diorama,
showing a perspective of the diorama without the intrusion of peripherals (room walls, etc.),
and cropped close ups of the detail.
I choose to went for the last option. Anyone who familiar with my blog knows I really enjoy close-up photography. Since I started the course, I been choosing different themes that involve close up shoots. On Level I - was still life, Level II come with a flowers and some black and whites, so yes I really trained my hand already so that’s why I wanted to finish with my favourite image style, but capturing something unusual.
It`s took me one whole day to take a set of photographs. Using available light and high ISO`s I did my best to capture the main part of all surroundings - as little stations, villages, tunnels and town was build all around the eaves. That’s how the place gets its name - Eavesdrop.
All photographs were shoot with my old friend Nikon D3000, using Tamron zoom lens in Macro setting, and also tripod.
The best twenty was selected for presentation, but below you will find the final 10.
Every picture has own story and if you look carefully you will see…
1. ...morning...
Exposure
1/13sec
Aperture
f/5.6
Focal Length
450 mm
ISO Speed
100
Exposure Program
Manual
Metering Mode
Spot
Light Source
Natural
Exposure Mode
Manual
White Balance
Auto
2.
...waiting...
Exposure
1/13sec
Aperture
f/5.6
Focal Length
450 mm
ISO Speed
100
Exposure Program
Manual
Metering Mode
Pattern
Light Source
Natural
Exposure Mode
Manual
White Balance
Auto
3.
...no rush... Exposure
1/13sec
Aperture
f/5.6
Focal Length
450 mm
ISO Speed
100
Exposure Program
Manual
Metering Mode
Spot
Light Source
Natural
Exposure Mode
Manual
White Balance
Auto
4.
...lots of work...
Exposure
1/10sec
Aperture
f/5.6
Focal Length
185 mm
ISO Speed
200
Exposure Program
Manual
Metering Mode
Center Weighted Average
Light Source
Natural
Exposure Mode
Manual
White Balance
Auto
5.
...town is that way...
Exposure
1/13sec
Aperture
f/5
Focal Length
195 mm
ISO Speed
200
Exposure Program
Manual
Metering Mode
Center Weighted Average
Light Source
Natural
Exposure Mode
Manual
White Balance
Auto
6.
...motion...
Exposure
1/13sec
Aperture
f/5.6
Focal Length
450 mm
ISO Speed
200
Exposure Program
Manual
Metering Mode
Pattern
Light Source
Natural
Exposure Mode
Manual
White Balance
Auto
7.
...back in town...
Exposure
1/15sec
Aperture
f/5
Focal Length
200 mm
ISO Speed
800
Exposure Program
Manual
Metering Mode
Spot
Light Source
Natural
Exposure Mode
Manual
White Balance
Auto
8
...into side streets...
Exposure
1/13sec
Aperture
f/5
Focal Length
195 mm
ISO Speed
400
Exposure Program
Manual
Metering Mode
Patern
Light Source
Natural
Exposure Mode
Manual
White Balance
Auto
9.
...working hard...
Exposure
1/15sec
Aperture
f/5
Focal Length
195 mm
ISO Speed
800
Exposure Program
Manual
Metering Mode
Pattern
Light Source
Natural
Exposure Mode
Manual
White Balance
Auto
10.
...bye bye now...
Exposure
1/15sec
Aperture
f/5
Focal Length
200 mm
ISO Speed
200
Exposure Program
Manual
Metering Mode
Spot
Light Source
Natural
Exposure Mode
Manual
White Balance
Auto
So that’s about it...my final ten for the theme II. Very hard was for me to choose. I had really lovely images of buildings and warehouse’s, breweries and town houses, but unfortunately I couldn’t include everything. Selecting little citizen photographs I was probably more thinking of a viewer’s, as much more suitable object for caching the attention.
I remember when I was young I went for lots of exhibitions for miniature world art. I was wishing someday I would build dioramas myself, just for fun - they were always amazing to me -my own little town where I could control anything that went on. This area, with so peaceful living , as I mentioned earlier, vas already build, so when taking the pictures, as keeping memory of unique person, who created such place, I tried to keep all untouched and I hope you too find this attractive.
As next important part of my work was all image post-processing. What can be more or less cheating to use a photo editing program to modify your pictures? But if you look from other side it is still takes a good photographer to take the image. Nothing much was done. After sorting them out I cropped them all 10 in by 10 in - went for a square as you guested. Adjust a bit of colour balance with help from Curves Auto tool in Photo Shop and put a little border around each photograph. It’s bring them all some sort of ordinary look - as little picture stories.
Didn't have to present my images I anyway print them out - all I one go on A3 paper. I have tree versions of my Ghost town, you decided which one you like the best.
A diorama is usually defined as a partially three-dimensional, full-size replica or scale model of a landscape typically showing historical events, nature scenes or cityscapes, for purposes of education or entertainment. Recently the art of photographing in miniature or dioramas has become very popular.
Since I was little I adore little train models and railways, always longing to have something like this myself, but it’s not only involves any financial aspects, but also time, witch not always is available.
Thinking about my second theme, choosing some of the options I came across with my friend’s family house loft space, where miniature town was created already and was just asking for taking pictures. Little town was built by my friend’s father and took him over 30 years to complete the work, but there was everything: little shops, stations, trains, little people - waiting, working, driving, some sort of feel of frozen life.
All dusty and long forgotten little villages live they life away alone and I just couldn’t resist to such opportunity and I came back for more.
Taking loads of photographs was very hard to choose which one`s to use. I selected best of it. Nothing was rearranged - everything was captured as I founded, what makes its more likely to original.
Photographing in miniature takes talent, time and willing to do so - much like painting or any other creative art. There is a great deal of thought and planning needed. Understanding the main view of a scene, depth, lighting, everything has to be detailed.
As it was mine first try in that sort of photography, perhaps it’s not look as fascinating as some of diorama photography master works. But doing my best I thought I achieve some reasonable result. I really hope you like my work.
Everyone can spend years in perfecting diorama or railroad layout - till the figures can finally look real and the buildings are correctly scaled and became realistic. The more practice the better photographs. Also research and look at other person photography work may help a lot.
Making Dioramas is a wonderful hobby that can exhibit an extraordinary wide range of creativity. You can make a diorama of almost any scene your mind can imagine.
It can be almost anything as long as it captures a moment in time - displays multiple objects and shows us a scene.
There are many different types of dioramas so let’s take a look on some Photographers who create their own realities...
Lori Nix
I saw Lori Nix’s photographs online -scenes of strange interior environments abandoned and in the slow process of being reclaimed by nature.
Lori Nix, Kansas born photographer, builds miniature dioramas by hand, mostly from scratch.
Nix’s work doesn’t just provoke or inspire by virtue of the talent expressed in each scene, it actually has the ability to frighten you with its illusion.
Her work is so varied and she have so many images rich with content, that for me was hard to chose my favourites, till I saw her series of : “Accidentally Kansas”. Funny and same time sad story's from she`s birthplace.
Camera - originally used to capture and document reality, has evolved into a tool which aids in imagination. Nix's attention to detail is provocative and obsessive.
As you can see from video Lori it’s not typical photographer, she is also a gifted miniaturist! Her series entitled “The City” (you will find it on she`s website) is a perfect example of what her creative mind is capable of. Creating dioramas in her small Brooklyn studio and then photographs the tiny scenes, in my opinion it’s truly amazing.
And Nix is not alone either. Some other great minds are making miniatures and doing equally fascinating things with them.
Nix’s good friend - New York artist Thomas Doyle also creates small scale diorama sculptures that are meticulous, intimate, and enigmatic.
“I made dioramas as a boy and always wanted to return to it; later when I was casting about for a medium that would hold my interest I stumbled back into this one and found a perfect fit:” says artist.
There is a hyper-real quality to the works that is a result of Doyle’s strong attention to detail, proportion, and form and the works seems to appear somewhere between illusion and a sort of phenomenological reality.
Doyle’s interest in themes of detachment and isolation can be seen throughout the works – many end up having an unknown and upsetting tone.
Using ordinary materials found around the house, tiny hand-painted figures surrounded by domesticity and destruction he creates frozen moments - mysterious and engaging. Time stops, figures are mid-stride – often on the verge of some discovery – and a natural response is to wonder what happened before, and what will happen after. There is no prescribed answer, and so control of destiny is handed over to the viewer.
The sense of loss and a brooding darkness is present in almost every piece, where homes dangle on sheer cliffs, or are surrounded by apocalyptic waste.
Through the disturbing and contradictory atmospheres of his dioramas, Doyle shows us how small and precarious each of our lives really is. The confined human figures inside these works express a frozen sense of time, enclosed within spaces from which they cannot escape. The viewers on the other hand are left on the periphery, which allows one to stare at a scene that can be controlled through the gaze, but makes it impossible to really understand the mysteries and tragedies hidden within.
Continue my research and mowing forward from depressing images above I like you pay some attention to Terada Mokei - Japanese artist and photographer who loves to take photos of tiny objects and make them look bigger on the photo without any external editing tools.
Terada Mokei– specializing mainly in the miniature type of photography not only by taking photos, but also making the main part of it.
Populating the paper environments, Terada's version of the modern man and his archetypal family consist of featureless cookie-cutter silhouettes of male, female and child figures. Each series places a variation of the family in different scenarios, ranging from park activities to earthquake-disrupted dinners and office obsequiousness, all packaged in single-collared sheets of pre-cut parts, reminiscent of model die-cuts. In my opinion is quite cool original idea that’s of course if you have plenty time- as that kind of construction, and also photography takes a lot of time and patience.
"As the accessory kits are assembly kits, I designed them to be fun for you to do so, however I would be just as pleased if you are so inclined to just enjoy envisioning their unassembled potential as well," says Terada.
This collection of tear-off paper forms themed kits currently available as New York, Housing, Office and Construction Site, Orchestra, Tokyo, Christmas and Zoo. The assembly instructions are as meticulously rendered as the figures. If anyone interested, could make and share some of your own story.
Terada Mokei also features a line of Architectural Model Greeting Cards. Pop-up figures with word-bubble expressions say it when you can't with this sentimental stationary.
Found this artist only by chance while streaming in net about miniature photography…when come across one of Louis Vuitton pages. Everybody knows Louis Vuitton - he has always been quite playful and creative when it comes to promoting their products and specially when partnered up with Paris-based photographer Vincent Bousserez – creating lovely fun photos.
The Parisian is a creative director at a marketing agency by day, but the creator of Plastic Life the rest of the time, carrying his 'little people' with him wherever he goes as I read inspired by a trip to a miniature model shop, Bousserez started planting miniature people against everyday objects to make them look like something else.
"That day I saw miniature trains, houses, trees and I was immediately captured by these little people," the artist explains.
"I stared at them thinking: I should choose one and shoot him in different places, in different situations. And I did."
"I take [the figures] on holiday, I take them everywhere. I could be anywhere and see stuff around me and the inspiration just comes naturally. I am like a child!"
Photographer Vincent Bousserez has artfully created an entire world of miniature plastic people that live hyperkinetic lives working and playing hard.
They hail unseen cabs, wash windows, even as they stand reading the newspaper presumably waiting for a bus that never comes.
Also toilet roll becomes a snowy slope, a discarded cigarette butt becomes a target for toxic removal and an upturned bottle lid becomes a bath. I couldn’t stop watching all his created stories. A sense of humour runs through all of Bousserez's work, making it the kind of artistic photography everyone can appreciate and could be a great inspiration for such original work.
Personally one of my favourite`s - simple - but with a hint of humour. He creates ironic and poetic scenes using macro photography as a result making little tiny people living in the world surrounded by lifeless giant objects.
See the world through the eyes of miniature people shows us some beautiful scenes from another point of view, where the world seems as ordinary as our very own but in a smaller scale!
Florian Tremp - same as V. Bousserez lives double life. By day he is in Switzerland-based magazine editor, by night - designer and self-taught diorama photographer extraordinaire from New York .
His amazing 1:87 miniatures are perfectly staged as bloody crime scenes, police car chases, CSI investigations, shoot outs, and murders in progress and so as tranquil little detailed scenes of diners glowing in a rural dusk and steel trailer homes shimmering in the night.
“No Country for Small Men” series is one of his best projects yet. It recreates farmlands, deserts and abandoned sites. It’s almost as if he’s literally taken a chunk of the real world and shrunk it down to mini size. From the construction of the scenes to the photographs of the sets, Florian Tremp displays an extraordinary creative mind. All of his images are of dioramas that he has hand crafted himself.
At first glance, it feels like you are looking at a still photos from a movie scene, but it’s not. They are actually images of miniature models.
Florian also makes amazing use of lighting to set the mood of each scene, and arranges them in interesting compositions to pull you in.
No much I can find out, most of the pages are in German, what I really not good at all. Anyway I am entranced by this kind of modelling what lead the imagination to produce such work.
It’s good to know that there are someone out there, documenting something like this, takes time to do so and also take great photographs.
The amazingly detailed miniature scenes above were shot by Canon EOS 400d. As part of a set called ‘No Country for Small Men’ I find them to be extremely entertaining to look over. Many more for you, who`s ever interested to admire on his photo stream.
Digital image manipulation - or editing with software - has become a routine practice in photography. The range of changes that photo editors can make varies from correcting background lighting to transforming a human model's body type. More complicated image manipulation may take the touch of an expert, but some software programs, such as Photoshop, are commonly used by average computer users. 
