13 Tilt-shift Photos from Around the World
With the popularity of our last photo of the week from Prague, we decided to share a few more of our favourite ‘miniature photos’ from around the world.
The effect is achieved by combining heavy saturation and sharpness with “over blurring” to the areas that are out of focus. In photography circles, this fun technique is called ‘tilt-shift photography‘, although we created the effect using photo editing software, not with our actual camera and lens.
Baseball game in Yokohama, Japan
Grazing Llamas at Machu Picchu, Peru
Amber Fort in Jaipur, India
Moai Statues on Easter Island, Chile
Santorini in the Greek Islands, Greece
The Monastery in Petra, Jordan
Széchenyi Chain Bridge and Danube River in Budapest, Hungary
Fairy Chimneys in Cappadocia, Turkey
Canals of Venice, Italy
Mausoleum of Ataturk in Ankara, Turkey
Ancient Rice Terraces of Batad, the Philippines
Plaza de Armas in Cusco, Peru
To see the full photo album of Mini’s Around the World – click here
Which one of these photos is your favorite?
Share your pick in the comments section below!
Awesome set of photos here guys! LOVE love this stuff your doing. I liked the Philippines photo best. It seemed like the most surrealist to me in a way 🙂
Big thanks T-roy! Appreciate the kind words, especially from such a great photographer such as yourself! 😉
It is just one of the perfect picture places in the Philippine i hope you guys would visit Philippines soon. Our culture and attittude is also captivating, im sure you gonna enjoy the hospitability we can offer, so you soon guys.
These are fantastic!!! I love the ones of Machu Picchu and Easter Island. All of these are really good. I would love to do some of these now. Make for great photos – thanks for giving me a new photography addiction!
Thanks Jeremy!
My favourite is also the one from Easter Island
These photos are so unusual and awesome. Hard to pick a favorite, but might be the camel safari — really caught my attention with that one. Don’t know how I missed the Prague post — going there right now!
Thanks for the kind words Cathy, glad you enjoyed the photos!
Love the miniature effect, the photos look fantastic! Our favorites are the one of the Philippines and Machu Picchu.
Thanks girls, appreciate the kind words!
Really cool effect, I think I’ll have to try that out. I think the one from Philippines is my favorite or the possibly the one from Easter Island. What software you using to create the effect?
Thanks Jarmo!
You can achieve the effect with virtually any photo editing software. For these ones, I used Lightroom 3
A very cool effect! I particularly like the Machu Picchu photo, it’s a photo I’ve seen so many times, just not like that.
Thanks Dean – that was what I was hoping for, so mission accomplished! 😉
Love them, especially the Easter island photo. What camera do you use?
We use a couple different Canon’s. The effect was achieved in the editing process, not from the camera.
It’s important to use photos that have large landscapes and subjects that you can “shrink”
These are amazing! Love this photo effect… Gotta start trying it on my photos.
It’s a fun way to change up your photos! 😉
Yes, Machu Picchu, Easter Island, Philippines – those were the bestest!
Thanks Glenn!
Very cool effect! The one from Cappadocia is my fave 🙂
Thanks Sophie – I like that one too! 🙂
Easter Island… how cool!
Very interesting technique! They really do look like miniatures. I wish I had time to fiddle around with some of the editing software but probably need to improve my photography skills first.
Thanks Debbie! Glad you like the photos 😉
Very cool! I had not heard of this technique before.
Yeah, it’s kinda fun to play around and see what happens! 😉
These are very cool! Loved Venice — looks so…small! 🙂
I like the Venice too – kinda feels like a cartoon
Such odd and wonderful effects. My eyes are still tingling.
Thanks Chris – glad you like the photos!
These are all fantastic, but I think the Machu Pichu one is my favourite.
Thanks for the feedback Alouise. I like the Machu Picchu also, I think it shows a very different perspective than the standard brochure shot
They are all good but I really like the one of Venice.
Cheers Travel Fool 🙂
gosh, these are particularly amazing photos!!! i love these [and seeing all the cool places you’ve visited!]
Thanks Jen!
We’ve been fortunate to have visited some very cool locations 😉
These are awesome!!
Maybe you mentioned it elsewhere, but what editing software are you using to get this effect? I love it!
You can achieve this effect with virtually any editing software. We used Lightroom 3 for these ones, but any software that has the ability to blur or gradient should do the trick.
The most important piece is to use a landscape photo with good distance, and include a few subjects to act as the focal point. Then play around with saturation, sharpness and gradients
I love this! I’m with Amanda, I would love to know how you do this.
BTW – Santorini is my favorite.
Thanks Caanan! Appreciate the kind words 🙂
All the wonders of tthe world is really an awesome thing and hope I can see allos these places. I had been at Philippines where I just discovered the beauty of Rice Terraces. It is really amazing to see even just you are far from it.
The world’s wonders’ truly are awe inspiring! Thanks for stopping by Edna 😉
Wow, I love these photos. I shared them with some coworkers and we agree the rice terraces one is our favorite. You guys have been to the most amazing places. So cool! Thanks for sharing.
Super fun- love them! I really like the Easter Island one the best, but maybe because I love all the little statues!
I’m with you Jade, it’s also my favourite. The statues kinda look like little toys on a piece of green velvet
These look so accomplished! Thanks for sharing 🙂
You’re welcome – thanks for the kind words 🙂
These are fantastic – so cool! Really enjoyed them
Thanks for the kind words Andrea – appreciate the feedback 😉
Don’t you just love playing with photos? I do it all the time for hours on end. These manipulations are fabulous. Hard to pick a favorite from a selection all done well. But I’m going with the Philippines for the way it makes me feel like I want to be there right now.
Indeed! Sometimes I can lose an afternoon playing around with photos, I love it 😉
I refuse to believe that this is photo editing… I am positive that you created little models of these famous places…
Busted! 😉
Love the Macchu Picchu photo! Seems like this works best with landscape shots– I feel like I’m looking at a model 🙂
yes – the effect works best with landscapes. It’s important to have a few subjects as well.
Awesome! Can this be done with the cheapo version of Photoshop Elements? Have you tried it with non-aerial photos?
Not sure, but I would think so. Most photo editing software can achieve the effect. There are a few really good tutorials on the web right not – google “Tilt shift Photography”
Hi guys
They are fab! I had no idea you could do that, must give some of my own photos a go.
Love the one of Easter Island. It really does look like a titchy mock up.
Thanks Linda, we appreciate your feedback (Easter Island is my fav too!) 😉
I’m also a fan of the easter island photo, but all of these are really awesome! When I have some free time I definitely want to learn more about this technique.
Thanks Christy, glad you like the photos. There are a few really good tutorials online to help you master the technique – google “Tilt-shift Photography” and check it out 😉
Ahh! These are awesome! I’ve always wondered how people achieve that effect, thanks for sharing!
You’re very welcome Audrey, glad you like the photos! 😉
I am from the Philippines, but I haven’t been to Batad! I am planning to go next month with my friends, but this Banaue Rice Terraces is one of the places in my country that makes me proud 😀 I would love to visit the rest of the places listed here especially Machu Picchu
I like the Budapest one – even the water looks like that fake jelly water they use in models 🙂
Thanks Claire – glad you like the photos! 😉
Love the photos! The baseball stadium in Japan is my fav!
Thanks Jim – glad you like the photos!
Gorgeous photos! I think the Easter Island one was my favorite. Its so cool that just adding those effects to the photo make it look so different I love it 🙂
Thanks Cailin. I’m with you, I think the Easter Island pic turned out best 😉
Incredible shots, a unique look at the places photographed. Love it!
Thanks Alex!
Cool effects and results! I’ll have to check out the tutorials and give it a whirl. Cheers
Thanks Pete! 😉
Great shots! Never been to Cusco–similar to Lima’s plaza, no? Thanks for posting these–lots of these places are on my list, too.
Thanks NLM, glad you like the photos! 😉
Amazing pictures. How did you capture these? Hard to pick a favorite but I guess if I have to pick one, then the Machu Pichu one is super awesome!
Thanks Nitasha, I like the Machu Picchu one too 😉
My favorite is Machu Picchu. The effect is very successful with this picture.
Glad you like it Kathy! 😉
These are indeed ‘awesome’!!!
Thanks! Glad you like them
Absolutely fascinating….I found myself staring at the detail, feeling a little like Gulliver.
Spectacular photos: thank you for sharing!
Thanks Conny! ;-D
It’s all so cute! hahaha I like the grazing llamas at Machu Picchu. Did they spit too? lol
Haha… no, no spitting llamas at Machu Picchu 😉
Amazing! Didn’t know you can achieve it through processing! Love love love the photos you created!
Thanks Shirlene!
Glad you like the photos 🙂
I love the egyption one, its stunning
Thanks Lassa!
Nice! I think my favorite is the one of the rice terraces. Very cool.
One of my favorite tilt shift photographers is Olivo Barbieri. The first time I saw one of his films featuring fly overs in Italy I was blown away.
Thanks Mike, we’ll have to check out his work
These are awesome! Great collection!
So awesome! These are so much fun and really well done.
This is great photos. To have a great collection like this is very hard for me. Great stuff, I love the rice terraces of the Philippines.
Terrific pictures
Thank you for sharing your experiences and fun technique. I will trying it on my photos,
I hope so dont turn in my new midnigth Hobby
Thanks – glad you like the photos!
These are SO COOL! 🙂
Thanks Michael!
Wow, great photos!!! I love them very much 🙂
Thanks!
Great photos!! I love them!!!
Thanks Larissa!
Feels like I’m peering through a kaleidoscope!
They are kinda fun!
This is really a good shot. Stunning and really great. I love the Plaza de Armas in Cusco, Peru miniature. Love it much much.
Thanks Vernon – glad you like the photos! 😉
Fun pictures….I like how you used the tilt-shift photography style to make these pictures pop – the ones from Budapest and Batad work especailly well. Anotehr photo style for me to play around with after seeing some great examples….never been a big HDR fan, but tilt-shift works for me. Hope to see more mini-pics down the road 😉
Thanks Red!
Agreed. We have played around with HDR but can’t seem to master it without it looking too manipulated. We have fun with these mini-photos. 🙂
Love these photos but….how? Did you have to do something special aside from being far away?
Never mind….I was clearly so excited about the photos, I skipped past the explanation. Very fun!
Hah! No worries Brock – glad you like the photos! 😉
It’s like seeing some of these sites for the first time. Love the creativity!
Glad you like the photos Maria! 🙂
Wow I should make some more of these from my own travel photos.
Yes – you should give it a try! 😉
LOVE these photos and love this technique. I’d love to see a post from y’all on how you used the Photoshop/LR settings to get this effect. My favorite is the Santorini one. I showed it to my husband and he said, “Wait, that’s not Legos?” Cool, cool shots!
Hah! It does look like Legos, doesn’t it?! I like how the Santorini photo turned out too.
Thanks for the kind words, I love your travel and food photography, so it means a lot. 😉
Just found your blog following a Twitter link . . . and I’m loving it! Great photos are always what inspire me to travel, and you’ve covered some of my favorite destinations here (Budapest, Venice). Very cool, I really dig this post.
Appreciate the kind words Jessica! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
AWESOME photos! I remember reading an article in Outside Magazineon how to do this with fancy lens manipulation. Looks like the photo software route works very well too. 🙂
Thanks Andy!
Yes – it’s definitely much easier to perfect the technique with photo editing software programs
Love miniature pictures— the Ancient Rice Terraces one is my favorite!
Glad you like the photos Alain! I like the Philippines one too 🙂
Absolutely beautiful and super creative!! Love pictures like these… Great post!
Thanks Amit – I’m happy you like the photos!
Wow, these are amazing! Love the little people and cars effect! And the Llamas!
Glad you like the photos Tash!
Cheers! 🙂
The grazing Llamas in Peru and the Santorini in the Greek islands are the most fascinating sites for me. I will have to visit them one day to have a feel of them in person. Stunning photos!
Thanks Dan.
I love the pictures and more so the pyramids!
Thanks!
These truly are some breath taking photographs … I love photography and i have traveled a lot for this … and i believe its really hard to take good picture which shows some story …
Wow! These are stunning photos. What an interesting technique you used. It looks like you took pictures of model sets.
Of all those places, I am really looking forward to visiting the Grazing Llamas at Machu Picchu in Peru. It is such an awesome place, can’t wait to see it in person.
Not yet done scanning and reading your interesting posts. Superb photos you’ve got. I maybe bias because I’m from the Philippines but the photo of Rice Terraces is simply breathtaking!
Really interesting photos, my favorite is the one from Machu Picchu.
Wow your website is great! And 65 countries, that’s so impressive! I’m trying to start my own travel blog but have a loooong way to go. Anyways I love how you made these miniature pics and thanks for sharing the technique, can’t wait to try it.
My new camera has this function – but the photos don’t turn out as nice as these ones did with your computer software. Actually, the unexpected flaw of having this feature on my camera is I over-use it!
LOVE, love, love these pictures! They really do make things seem miniature 🙂
I’d love to know what software you use and how you do it, or is it a trade secret? 😉