10 Tiny Tokyo Photos

7 Mar 2006 Category: Architecture, Features, Japan

10 Tiny Tokyo Photos

Tiny Roppongi, with the under-construction Tokyo Midtown project in the top right.

Recently I was inspired by some photos by Olivo Barbieri. One of his projects involves him taking photos of famous landmarks from above whilst riding a helicopter and using a special “tilt shift lens” to create the illusion that the scenery is actually an incredibly detailed model. In his photos, landmarks such as The Coliseum in Rome to deserts in Las Vegas all appear as tiny macro-like versions of themselves when in fact you are looking at the real thing. I decided to experiment with this idea to create a Tiny Tokyo collection!

By Jon.


Olivo Barbieri: The Coliseum (detail)

Olivo Barbieri: Las Vegas desert (detail)

However, I do not have a tilt shift lens (expensive) or a helicopter (very expensive). These 10 images were all achieved by taking photos from high up locations in Roppongi and Ikebukuro in Tokyo, then applying photoshop effects to get a similar look to Barbieri’s tilt shift images.

Tiny Highway

Tiny Museum

The curvy National Art Center

Tiny Clutter

This image helps you understand just how densely packed the buildings are in Tokyo.

Tiny Tower

Tokyo Tower, with Zojoji Temple next to it.

Tiny Playground

Tiny Train

Tiny Flags

Tiny Cemetery

The vast Aoyama Cemetery.

Tiny Pyramid

Tiny Tennis

Even in a bustling metropolis like Tokyo, people find space to play sports in amongst the endless buildings.

There are 13 more images in this collection and you can see them here. Unfortunately without the use of a helicopter it’s difficult to get shots of interesting buildings or famous landmarks - as you can see Tokyo is so densely packed with buildings that from the few vantage points I tried, many famous landmarks were hidden behind a sea of buildings. See if you can recognise any of the places in the remaining photos!

64 Comments

  1. Just to add a link to a tutorial for those who want to do the same : http://recedinghairline.co.uk/tutorials/fakemodel/

    Posted by: benoit on March 8th, 2006 at 12:08 am

  2. Nice shots, I’ve wanted to do that with a tilt/shift lens myself, and looked into buying a 28mm PC nikkor which isnt that expensive, but my camera broke and I had to replaced that so Ihavent done it yet. Dis you use a blur in photoshop with a white/black/white smooth mask ? Thats what it looks like, but the effect is very close to the real thing, well done :) It’s great that you were able to get so high on top of those buildings, did you ahve to ask for permission or can you just go up ? Anyway, nice article it’s got me wanting to try it myself again :)

    Posted by: stephan on March 8th, 2006 at 1:41 am

  3. By the way, in case someone wants to try do this kind of thing DIY analogical-stylee, there’s a tutorial somewhere on the net about how to make an “orbit lens” thats basically a lens mount then a plastic bag and a lens at the end, allowing you to shift and tilt all over the place. The effect is great. The lens looks like this http://www.flickr.com/photos/rool/8075912/ but I cant find the tutorial any more :(

    Posted by: stephan on March 8th, 2006 at 2:01 am

  4. Oooh, found it again and bookmarked it :) Sorry about the monologue here ;)

    http://www.orbit1.com/dailyphotos.aspx?photoid=785

    Posted by: stephan on March 8th, 2006 at 2:04 am

  5. Very cool. They look amazingly like cityscape models. If no one told me that these were actual photos, I’d have a hard time believing that they weren’t plastic models.

    I want to learn how to do it now.

    Posted by: Ryan on March 8th, 2006 at 2:15 am

  6. to stephan: you cannot do that with a shift lens like the 28 PC nikkor, you need to tilt, not to shift. there is a funlens called lensbaby (www.lensbaby.de) , which could do things like that.
    or do it like jon - they´re amazing…

    Posted by: tex on March 8th, 2006 at 6:34 pm

  7. [...] Source: Ping Mag [...]

    Posted by: Hemmy.net - A source of varied interests for everyone, the weblog that never sleeps. Updated Daily. » Tiny Tokyo on March 8th, 2006 at 9:41 pm

  8. True you cant get that exact effect with a shift lens, but the idea is the same, same thing with the lensbaby actually (I own one), its close but not the same thing: the lensbaby effectively gives you one spot of sharpness and a pretty radial blur going out from there, but the optical quality of the system isnt good enough to get a completely sharp image even stopped down (with a ruber ring) and on an aps-c size sensor. Anyway I’d better shut up this is getting photo-geeky, but I’m going to have to gice the orbit lens a try, I just need to find a dead nikon mount lens :)

    Posted by: Stephan on March 8th, 2006 at 10:11 pm

  9. There has been a good deal of buzz lately about the tilt-shift effect, both the real thing and the photoshopped version. We’ve blogged about it over at Industrial Brand Creative and we are encouraging people to send us their own tilt-shift attempts. Gambatte!

    Posted by: Kevin Broome on March 9th, 2006 at 2:57 am

  10. Really looks like a H0 world. Awesome.

    Posted by: Jens Meiert on March 9th, 2006 at 4:55 am

  11. Readers might be interested in my page of links to galleries and information on tilt-shift photography. (see website link).

    Posted by: Hamish Grant on March 9th, 2006 at 9:25 pm

  12. [...] Pingmag has recently published an interesting series of Tiny Tokyo pictures inspired by Olivo Barbieri’s aerial photographs, which coolly transformed famous landmarks and cities into miniature models. While Barbieri had the good fortune to use a helicopter and an expensive tilt shift lens, these Tokyo images were easily achieved through the use of high rise buildings and basic photoshop effects. [...]

    Posted by: Dasein, Red Elephant. » A Model Tokyo: City as Avatar on March 11th, 2006 at 1:24 pm

  13. These are pretty cool. The only problem I have with them is that the gradient in the mask is too even. Large objects in the foreground and background are sometimes blurred from top to bottom (Tokyo tower is a good example), which wouldn’t necessarily be the case in macro photos like these (depending on perspective. A little creative painting in the initial mask with a fuzzy brush would help this.

    This looks like a lot of fun. I’m going to try it in my neighborhood!

    Posted by: Paul Yamagata-Madlon on March 16th, 2006 at 6:57 am

  14. This is really cool! I LOVE Cats, and Tokyo. So poop.

    Posted by: Charis on April 3rd, 2006 at 11:39 pm

  15. I like how they made some parts of this blurry. I wonder how they did that. It must be the camra. I want 1! But it’s probably 2 expensive, & I’m saving up 4 Nintendogs & a Nintendo DS. They rock. Also, I love Cats. And Tokyo. So poop.

    Posted by: Charis on April 3rd, 2006 at 11:43 pm

  16. Does anyone want 2 b my friend????? I am @ school now, I’m 11 and in 5 grade, and I live in Pennsylvania. Also, I love Cats. And Tokyo. So poop.

    Posted by: Charis on April 3rd, 2006 at 11:45 pm

  17. I’ll come on this site @ home. But now I got 2 go. Bye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Posted by: Charis on April 3rd, 2006 at 11:47 pm

  18. [...] PingMag - The Tokyo-based magazine about “Design and Making Things” » Archive » 10 Tiny Tokyo Photos [...]

    Posted by: ponchorama!!! on April 11th, 2006 at 11:00 pm

  19. You should research what depth of field actually is. Just blurring the top and bottom is hardly accurate (e.g. the top of the orange tower in ‘Tiny Tower’ should be in focus, since it’s in the same focal plane as the base of the tower)

    Posted by: brad on April 14th, 2006 at 5:10 pm

  20. [...] An amazing lens used in arial photos of Tokyo makes the vast city look like nothing more than an incredibly detailed model. Try to figure out why your eyes are fooled! [...]

    Posted by: Tiny Tokyo at rogersmj.com on April 15th, 2006 at 3:13 am

  21. [...] I know it looks like a picture of a model but this is in fact the real thing. How did they do it? A special “tilt shift lens” creates the illusion that the scenery is actually an incredibly detailed model. Head over to PingMag if you want to see the rest of the photos. [...]

    Posted by: Moshiso » Blog Archive » Ten Tiny Tokyo Photos on April 19th, 2006 at 12:44 am

  22. [...] The use of HDR images (High Dynamic Range) is another photography trend that has recently been gaining mainstream popularity. Thanks to the internet, it’s very easy for photographers of all levels to learn how to perform these techniques on their own images, as we have seen on PingMag with the technique used in 10 Tiny Tokyo Photos. The technique in that article - which makes birds-eye-view photos of real buildings resemble tiny miniature models - created a mini boom in the world of amateur photography, fascinating photographers and the people viewing the photos with how easily the eye can be tricked. HDR images are now set to be the next mini trend - in this article I’ll explain what HDR is and show you some experimental HDR images, taken in Tokyo. [...]

    Posted by: PingMag - The Tokyo-based magazine about "Design and Making Things" » Archive » 10 Pictures of Tokyo Gotham on April 19th, 2006 at 3:59 pm

  23. I remember the first time i saw this effect from a photographer in new york 8 years ago. I always liked
    it how did you do it. Lube the lens?

    Posted by: davin on May 3rd, 2006 at 5:12 am

  24. all your pics looked fake and you need to fire the guy that took them or set him on fire!!!!!!!!!!! YOU SUCK HARD COR

    Posted by: me on May 10th, 2006 at 6:15 am

  25. :blink:

    That’s the idea of the technique, man.

    Posted by: Meh on May 14th, 2006 at 5:45 pm

  26. nice pics i luv them and Tokyo! :)

    Posted by: who cares on May 26th, 2006 at 3:17 am

  27. [...] See also… Beautiful tilt-shift effect photos: Tokyo, Disneyworld (Via BB, by a co-creator of Myst!), Silicon Valley, Flickr. Go hardcore and make your own tilt-shift lens, or learn everything there is to learn on the subject. Bookmark this in Del.icio.us First Time Here? → See more Photo projects, DIY ideas, and Gear ← → Get it all free: Subscribe by email or RSS ← You might also like… [...]

    Posted by: Photojojo » The Miniature Model Effect in Photoshop: It’s a Small World After All on May 29th, 2006 at 1:38 pm

  28. [...] Inspired by PingMag’s excellent Tiny Tokyo photos article, I’ve created a few ‘fake model photographs’ of my own. Click each below for a more detailed version: [...]

    Posted by: Tiny model photographs » Mancubist: Life is good in Manchester on June 19th, 2006 at 3:58 am

  29. [...] http://www.pingmag.jp/2006/03/07/10-tiny-tokyo-photos/ http://www.photojojo.com/content/post-processing/miniature-model-effect-photoshop/ http://www.pingmag.jp/2006/06/02/how-japanese-style-illustration-works/ - hungtd - [...]

    Posted by: Encyclopedia Knowledge » [Tech] 10 Tiny Tokyo Photos on July 5th, 2006 at 8:04 pm

  30. The tower and some very tall buildings (i.e. building on the tiny train’s right; building behind the pyramid) are deadly giveaways. To make nearly perfect scale model pictures, you need to selectively blur the background.

    Posted by: JB on August 3rd, 2006 at 6:51 pm

  31. I love tilt-shift, is it going to be possible to achieve this style without too much blurring?

    Posted by: Pratana Areepitak on August 6th, 2006 at 1:34 pm

  32. [...] Aber wer versucht von der Stadt ein Photo zu machen, sodass es aussieht wie ein Modell? Ein gewissser Olivo Barbieri solche Bilder. Mehr davon gibts auf Pingmap und im Metropolis… [...]

    Posted by: ArchiSpass » Blog Archive » Modellphoto mal Anders on August 8th, 2006 at 10:11 pm

  33. it’s done in photoshop. not the lens in this instance…

    http://recedinghairline.co.uk/tutorials/fakemodel/

    Posted by: Anonymous on October 18th, 2006 at 1:43 am

  34. And make them black&white.

    Posted by: Bil on January 13th, 2007 at 1:32 pm

  35. i like these pictures

    Posted by: alexis on February 2nd, 2007 at 4:04 am

  36. [...] since I saw Pingmag’s Tiny Tokyo entry, I’ve been wanting to do something similar with Cape Town. As luck would have it, I was [...]

    Posted by: Compl33t » Blog Archive » Tiny Cape Town on March 10th, 2007 at 9:46 pm

  37. These are sorta interesting, but the process was sloppy and a lot of them don’t look like tiny anythings. The author obviously just did a variable blur with focus in a narrow horizontal band. This, of course, completely destroys the “tininess” effect in pictures like the Tokyo Tower one, as things that are much much closer to the camera (like the tower) have parts that are in the same focus as other things that are much farther. This wouldn’t happen with a real “small” picture. All parts of the tower should be in approximately the same focus, as they’re all about the same distance from the camera. They definitely should not be in the same focus as things far in the background. The author needs to try harder and make a more selective mask. The human eye/brain combination is very good at picking these kinds of things out as fakes, or just variable blurring, rather than the intended effect. I’ve seen some good Photoshopped pictures like these, but these are rather sloppy.

    Posted by: Futureboy on April 28th, 2007 at 4:06 pm

  38. very cool… Although the Tokyo tower shouldn’t be blurred with the rest ;)

    I gotta try that with NYC… hmm gotta buy an helicopter first though :P

    Posted by: yann on July 5th, 2007 at 10:03 pm

  39. it’s cool to look at this,…
    have a good try,we still need to learn from all of u guys,.
    ths for sharing

    Posted by: never ending sun on July 9th, 2007 at 8:53 pm

  40. Hello! and interesting good site. ,

    Posted by: halved on August 16th, 2007 at 2:10 pm

  41. 5yoofy on site! a with Great Hi! work. Go such good ,

    Posted by: fatal on August 16th, 2007 at 11:21 pm

  42. [...] (more Tiny Tokyo pics here..) [...]

    Posted by: Tilt/shilft Sunday « the vital thing.. on August 26th, 2007 at 7:53 pm

  43. [...] cities and even some photoshop generated ones of Tokyo by YongFook as found in the brilliant Ping Mag.Colliseum, Rome by Olivo Barbieri ©Tokyo Highway by YongFook ©Well anyway, here’s the [...]

    Posted by: If you take a closer look… — Surely? - stuff & nonsense on January 8th, 2008 at 7:46 pm

  44. [...] with a slight twist, here. So has his friend Shahin. And this morning, PingMag featured images of a “Tiny Tokyo” inspired by the work of Olivo [...]

    Posted by: ideations & executions | KEVIN BROOME » Blog Archive » The Tilt-Shift Phenomenon on January 10th, 2008 at 3:00 pm

  45. very cool… Although the Tokyo tower shouldn’t be blurred with the rest ;)

    Posted by: kurye on February 22nd, 2008 at 7:32 am

  46. Posted by: Neo on March 15th, 2008 at 5:48 pm

  47. Posted by: Joe on March 16th, 2008 at 1:00 am

  48. [...] For those of you who really appreciate photograhy, I introduce to you…"Fake model photography". I stumbled upon this site yesterday and this technique really fascinates me. I’d love to try this out once I get more into photography and get a real camera. Yes, all of these photos are of real, full-size structures. The photographer is named Olivo Barbieriand and he uses a a special

    Posted by: "Fake Model Photography" - Designer Jeans:: HonestForum.com :: the #1 web community for authentic designer jeans on March 31st, 2008 at 12:51 am

  49. here´s a picture from an amusement park in Brazil that I altered like that. just to exchange some information
    by the way, loved the pictures
    bye

    Posted by: Lucas on April 21st, 2008 at 3:17 pm

  50. here’s my tilt-shift tokyo attemp! enjoy

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/nigalraymond/sets/72157605377738362/

    Posted by: Nigal Raymond on July 31st, 2008 at 12:10 am

  51. [...] 10 Tiny Tokyo PhotosPhotoshop makeover that could make a cityscape looks like a miniature. [...]

    Posted by: Serendipify! » Blog Archive » Reusable hyperlinks #7 on September 11th, 2008 at 1:32 pm

  52. [...] 10 Tiny Tokyo Photos [...]

    Posted by: 50 Beautiful Examples Of Tilt-Shift Photography | Inspiration | Smashing Magazine on November 17th, 2008 at 7:45 am

  53. [...] 10 Tiny Tokyo Photos [...]

    Posted by: 50 Beautiful Examples Of Tilt-Shift Photography | Inspiration | Smashing Magazine on November 17th, 2008 at 7:45 am

  54. [...] 10 Tiny Tokyo Photos [...]

    Posted by: 50 Beautiful Examples Of Tilt-Shift Photography | virology.tv on November 17th, 2008 at 3:19 pm

  55. [...] 10 Tiny Tokyo Photos [...]

    Posted by: Tilt Shift Photography | Lift22 Creative - The Creative Blog on November 18th, 2008 at 2:03 am

  56. sweet, i really like this effect!

    Posted by: Ali Reid on November 18th, 2008 at 5:14 pm

  57. This is awesome but I have to ask: how do you make little stuff appear big?

    Posted by: Malignant Maelstrom on November 19th, 2008 at 9:59 am

  58. i don’t know about others but i think the photos seem overexposed

    Posted by: Gula Kapas on November 20th, 2008 at 10:25 am

  59. Nice!

    I’ve been experimenting with video versions up here in Sapporo. Here’s a toytown video of Sapporo TV Tower - needs a bit of work, but not a bad start:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/smashcut/3045897606/

    Posted by: Michael Pick on November 22nd, 2008 at 4:40 pm

  60. These are great! Thanks.

    Posted by: adamk on January 10th, 2009 at 4:53 am

  61. [...] 10 Tiny Tokyo Photos [...]

    Posted by: TintMix » The Amazing Tilt-shift Photograph on January 12th, 2009 at 6:28 pm

  62. [...] 10 Tiny Tokyo Photos [...]

    Posted by: 50 Beautiful Examples Of Tilt-Shift Photography « Top Web Hosts Review Best Web Hosting 2010 on March 21st, 2010 at 3:58 am

  63. [...] with a slight twist, here. So has his friend Shahin. And this morning, PingMag featured images of a “Tiny Tokyo” inspired by the work of Olivo [...]

    Posted by: Broome » The Tilt-Shift Phenomenon on March 24th, 2010 at 1:06 pm

  64. what a great work, it not easy job well don.

    Posted by: 3D Architecture Rendering on May 29th, 2010 at 9:58 pm

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