Creating Miniature Realities
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The series was originally inspired by the five Pétanque players featured in almost all of these pictures. They seem to whisper secrets in the first one – maybe fixing a date for their next game – and from there, I follow them around in their endeavors.
The original series basically focuses on the joys of getting older. However, the pictures kept coming, and the whole set evolved into a narrative entitled The Sprightly Five.
Setting the Stage
A general introduction to building dioramas (or sets) for toy photography and the planning that goes into it
Meet the Figures
A closer look at the figures predominantly used in these photos: What stories can they tell?
The Photographer
A few words about the writer of these lines and the maker of the pictures shown on this page
The Downtown
After finishing a series of pictures about Jazz music and the people who made it, I felt the need to take it all a step further: Inside a Jazz venue based on a Jazz club that existed some 40 years ago, close to the place where I grew up.
Abstraction in Toy Photography
Can a toy photo be abstract? And if so, can (toy) photographers benefit from abstraction?
Making of: The Bar Minuscule
The set used in this photo is quite simple. A look at the parts this set consists of and their function
Making of: A Meaningful Location
From warehouse to museum: Here’s a close look at the work that went into converting a diorama into something new
Area 23
Bright Lights, Black City
My longest narrative to date, this story takes a detective down the mean streets, into bars and burlesque theaters. A story about windy clients and unexpected allies, this one pays tribute to my fascination with noir.
It is a more elaborate version of the Noir Suites, and strongly influenced by Crime Series and Noir, which was my very first attempt at telling a story in pictures.
More Pictures
There are many pictures that never became part of a series. So, the last but not the least, here is a small, random selection. Some of these are very recent while some date back to my beginnings as a toy photographer.
For more pictures and regular updates, please visit my blog, Empire of Lights.
© 2007-2025 by Tobias M. Schiel unless otherwise indicated. Any reproduction without permission can constitute an infringement of copyrights.
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