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Scale Americana

posted by Jason Kottke Apr 02, 2014

Michael Paul Smith takes photographs of classic cars that evoke feelings of nostalgia for America in the 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s. Take a look, these are about as Pleasantville as you can get:

Michael Paul Smith 01

Michael Paul Smith 02

But as you'll discover browsing through Smith's collection, the cars he photographs are scale models. Here's the set-up for that second shot:

Michael Paul Smith 03

And here's further evidence of Smith's trickery:

Michael Paul Smith 04

No Photoshop here...all effects are done in-camera. As Smith notes, "It is the oldest trick in the special effects book: lining up a model with an appropriate background, then photographing it." (via @osteslag)