Big Toys, A Point Of View

For one of my Project 365 images, I wanted to try and make a small object appear bigger than it’s actual size by my choice of perspective, viewpoint and setting. The object I chose for this experiment was a 1/18th scale model of a Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet. It’s a fairly detailed model, which helps with the illusion of scale.

I started off with a test image of the model placed in the street outside our house. When shooting an image of this type you need to ensure that you use a viewpoint that would look like a realistic viewpoint for the full sized object. If I shot the picture from above, it would look unnatural, since we aren’t used to seeing cars from such a high viewpoint (I had to lie on the ground for this shot). The choice of lens is also important. I used a telephoto lens (70-200mm zoom) because they compress the perspective of objects in the frame, making the distance between foreground and background objects appear smaller. Making the background appear closer to the subject will also help the illusion of scale.

I did a second test shot, from a different angle, to see which view of the model I preferred. This shot, along with the previous one, highlighted a couple of issues with the setup:

- my depth of field was too narrow, making the subject look more model like if anything
- foreign objects in the frame can kill the illusion of scale - like the bits of grass next to the model
- the grain of the tarmac on the road looked too big
- I needed a more interesting background
- one of the wing mirrors on the model had gone missing!

I tried to rectify these with the next test shot. First off, I picked a smaller aperture to give me a more realistic looking depth of field. Fortunately it was a bright day so my shutter speed was still manageable. I needed a new location for the model, so I decided to try the top of a low wall (which was in the background of the first test shot). The grain of the concrete on top of the wall was much tighter and looked better than the large grain of the tarmac, it was also easier for me to get a low viewpoint on the model. I tried to use the houses across the street for the background, but cropped in a bit too tight on this shot. I also shifted the viewpoint to hide the missing wing mirror (if you can actually hide something that isn’t there), but I thought it looked a bit too model like from this angle.

For the final image, at the top of the post, I tried to bring together the elements that I had seen from the test shots. I ended up framing the image to crop out most of the floor, so that you can just get a hint of the car being on a surface of some sort. I included more of the street in the background to give the location of the subject some more context and interest. I found that I preferred a front view of the model, as it looked more realistic from that angle, and I also zoomed in a bit closer to make it appear larger in the frame. I tried framing the car to crop out the missing wing mirror, but the composition didn’t look right so I cheated and photoshopped the missing mirror back in!

A number of people who have viewed the image have needed more than a glance to realise that it is a model in the shot.