For the last 25 years, Michael Paul Smith has been building detailed scale models for an imaginary world he calls “Elgin Park.” Michael builds eerily identical scaled models of cars 1/24th the size. He carefully picks out real world environments for these cars and builds whatever else is needed to sell the shot. He then uses backgrounds of real environments to make the shot as realistic as possible. Here’s the kicker: he’s doing all of this on a $200 point and shoot.
About Michael Paul Smith:
Michael has been building to scale models for over 25 years. He took model building one step further and created a way to mix real buildings, trees, structures, lakes, and streets in with his 1/24th to scale models. It’s really quite amazing that these photos look as real as they do and I love the theme he has run with.
With the right perspective, this miniature town looks completely real
But this is what it actually is
Another shot that looks realistic
But it’s not either
As you can see, his fake world is completely convincing and he’s only using a $200 camera
A part of me wants to climb into the world he has created. I love the cars
This is my favorite one
Behind the scenes
Here are a few more “perception” shots from his miniature creation
