I'm working on a new series of images. I almost never show a photograph before its ready, but I'm pretty happy with the early results so I'm making an exception :)
In my studio, a forest is growing! ... a delicately constructed forest made from tiny model train trees, bathed in "moonlight," and shrouded in a veil of fog. This small-scale wonderland is the heart of my latest project, an experiment in storytelling through miniature landscapes.
I'll be creating a few of these forest photos over the coming months. I can't wait to show you what I come up with!
Using model train trees, chosen for their intricate detail, I began building a miniature woodland. Arranging the trees was like choreographing a dance—balancing density with open spaces and finding the perfect "clearing" for the scene’s focal point.
Creating the forest was surprisingly meditative. Each tiny tree became a character in this miniature ecosystem, placed not just for realism but for storytelling. Where would the moonlight strike? Where might the fog drift most hauntingly? These questions turned my studio into an imaginary wilderness.
Lighting is always the heart of my photography, and in this project, it had to carry the emotional weight of the scene. I chose to backlight the forest with a single, diffuse light source, mimicking the glow of moonlight. Backlighting creates depth, outlining the trees in soft halos and casting long shadows that suggest untold stories hidden just beyond the frame.
To amplify the sense of moonlight, I used a cool-toned gel over the light. This subtle shift to blue tones gives the scene a nocturnal quality, transforming the forest from a collection of plastic trees into an ethereal, otherworldly environment.
No forest at night would be complete without a sense of mystery, and that’s where the fog comes in. Using a small fog machine, I introduced gentle plumes of mist into the scene. The fog caught the moonlight, adding texture and depth to the composition. Watching the fog swirl and settle feels like watching a living element—one that’s as unpredictable as nature itself.
The challenge here is timing. The fog moves quickly and dissipates even faster under the studio lights, so capturing the perfect moment requires patience and precision. Sometimes, the unpredictability works in my favor, creating unplanned magic.
This project is more than a technical exercise; it’s a way to explore how much emotion and imagination can be drawn from the smallest of spaces. The miniature forest invites viewers to step into a world where scale is irrelevant, and the limits of reality don’t apply. As an artist, I’m always searching for new ways to communicate. I loved turning these small toy trees into a grand landscape to evoke wonder and imagination.