Click it and Unblock the Notifications
Amazing Trick Photography Using Toy Cars By Michael Paul Smith
Elgin Park is the name of a place that you will not find on any map. Not because it is a top secret government facility, but because it resides in the imaginary world of artist Michael Paul Smith. Elgin Park is an imaginary city which comes to life in the beautiful creations of the artist.
The art we are talking about are automotive themed recreations of scenes from a typical mid-20s American neighbourhood. What's special is that Michael Paul Smith uses only models to create the scene, but you'll find that hard to believe when you look at the photographs that are taken later. Take a look in the gallery below.
Also Read: Amazing Car Facts From Around The World
Michael's passion started off with the 300 odd diecast models of old cars. The stars of his creations are these scale model vehicles.
A typical scene from Elgin Park has at least a couple of retro vehicles travelling on the road or parked, with matching architecture from that era forming the backdrop.
Michael does not own a studio. Each and every scene is created out in the open, making use of the real sky all the time. Sometimes even real world trees and bushes are used as a backdrop.
Technicalities are kept to the minimum and Michael uses the most basic methods to create his work, but the final results are surprisingly captivating.
Before the work begins he does his homework by studying the scene he wants to create by learning every of detail about the architecture, down to the minute details, such as the aged & textured details of a building's facade.
He also relies on old photographs to learn about the scene he will be recreating.
Michael creates scale model buildings and other articles required for the scene in his kitchen workstation and takes the model out to the spot where he photographs it.
The ‘road' which features in all of his works is the same 3x4 foot piece of board. The board has been painted and textured to mimic real asphalt.
A single project requires him to take more than a couple of dozen photographs of the models, of which only a couple or so give the desired results.
Those few successful shots are the result of proper perspective. He has made it a point not to use photo editing tools to artificially generate the effect.
The only photo editing he does is to generate a tint to give a retro feel by adding a photoshop filter.
So does Elgin Park have any relation to a real life city? To some extent, yes.
Michael spent nearly the first two decades of his life in the town of Sewickley, in Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
Some of the scenes he creates have some connection to the memories he has of his life while living in Sewickley.
Michael's passion for evoking nostalgia and bringing back to life a time gone by has earned him tremendous recognition online.
You can find more of Michael Paul Smith's work in his Flickr page.
Continue with Google