Outside of a Scarlett Johansson photo shoot, tilt-shift photography is probably the most mesmerising thing you can do with a camera. The style of happy snapping transforms everyday aerial scenes into looking like something like the set of Thomas the Tank Engine – all cute and miniature.

 

The trick behind legitimate tilt-shift photography involves restricting the depth of field captured by the lens. In other words, instead of everything being in focus (as with wide-angle lens photography), only a selected plane appears crystal clear and the rest is blurred. Because the eye is not used to this style of selective focus, it is tricked into perceiving everything as miniature.

 

Though the technique began with physical cameras snapping the shots, recently there is an increasing trend towards faking the tilt-shift effect with Photoshop. This undoubtedly cheeses off hardcore photography types, but to our eye… it all looks pretty amazing.

 

 

(above: photograph by Vincent Laforet)

 

 

(above: photograph by Gökhan Dogan)

 

 

(above: photograph by Topher Simon)

 

 

 

(above: photograph by Vincent Laforet)

 

 

(above: photograph by GaiaN.)

 

 

 

(above two photographs plus header image by Melbournian artist Ben Thomas.) 

 

Tilt-shift also works on moving images. Now all we need is Ringo Starr to do voiceovers.