Tilt shift miniaturisation: Why a blurred background makes objects in photos look tiny
The tilt shift technique makes much of the background and foreground of an image out of focus, which distorts our perception of size
Logan Whitton/Getty Images
Blurry backgrounds in photographs can make objects seem smaller than they actually are – and experiments have given us new clues about what makes this illusion so effective.
Photographers use a technique called tilt shift miniaturisation to make large objects and landscapes look like toy sets. This relies on the fact that our eyes can’t focus on close-up and distant objects at the same time, so when we focus …