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Flickr: Michael Paul Smith's Photostream
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The camera
The camera that I use is only a 6 megapixel Sony®. Anything above that captures too much information. I had a 3 megapixel camera that took better "vintage" photos because the lens wasn't that good. Actual old camera lenses caused a mild blur in the photos, and it's that blur that holds the key to the look of the past; at least for me. The blur ads emotional distance and mystery to the photograph. And that's also the reason why there are no people in my pictures. I want the viewers to put themselves into these landscapes and not be distracted by other people.
An early fascination with models and miniatures
I have always been fascinated with models and miniatures. Even in grade school I made buildings out of cigar boxes and put interiors in them. That was also true about cars, trucks and train models. I'd put wheels on shoe boxes and cut out windows. When I discovered plastic kits in the late 50's, it was a defining moment. Speed up to the 1980's, when diecast cars started to appear, and it was all downhill for me. These vehicles are my only vice. Having 300 diecast models sitting on a shelf might look impressive, but there is something sad about that. For myself, they needed to be put into a context, and I thought a scale building of some sort would help bring some life to them. I found a G-scale structure in the trash and decided to fix it up and add an interior. The most important goal of this project was it had to be as good as the diecast cars. So I put a huge effort into getting the details correct. When it was completed, I placed some cars around it and photographed the scene. It was an "Ah-Ha!" moment. From the very first photo I took, I could see the inherent story-telling aspects of the "dioramas." It was only a matter of time before I started to design and make my own structures.
All of the 15 buildings I've constructed are in pieces. They are not set up as a town in one room. When doing a photo shoot, I mix and match them; turn them around or temporarily add to them so they have an altered appearance. This gives me the ability to tell different stories and create different moods. It also allows for a dreamlike feel where the buildings move around in alternate locations.