Photos of $160,000 Luxury Car Created with Small-Scale Toy and Kitchen Ingredients

Felix Hernandez Scale Model Photographer

As a child, Felix Hernandez had a huge imagination, locking himself in his room for hours to play with his toys. Now, the Cancun-based photographer and digital artist is putting that playtime to use by creating stunningly realistic photographs using scale models and ingenious camera angles. Hernandez worked to create a series of images for Audi that highlight the luxury brand's R8 sports car, which typically retails for about $160,000.

Rather than splashing out on a full-scale car and set requirements, Hernandez was able to create the desired effects using a scale model that cost only $40. “I shoot my models in my studio with studio flashes,” explains Hernandez. “It’s similar to shooting a product, but again, if you want to give the sense of realism you have to think in the scale. I take lighting principles and apply them to a smaller scale.”

With an innovative imagination and some advanced planning, Hernandez achieves big results. Taking us all behind the scenes, he shares his thought process about digital manipulation in the finished photographs. “I love photo manipulation and digital art, but what’s really cool is doing as much as you can in-camera. For snow scenes, I use wheat flour. For desert scenes, I use corn flour. For atmosphere, I add smoke. For rain, I spray water. For droplets, I add corn syrup.”

Check out these finalized and work-in-progress shots to gain a glimpse behind the curtain, and fully appreciate the artistry. Want to dabble in scale model photography yourself? Hernandez also teaches workshops in Mexico and abroad.

Finished Photographs

Final Image Of Digital Manipulation

Stunning Realistic Photograph Using Scale Models

Realistic Images With Innovative Imaginations

Behind the Scenes

Behind The Scenes OF Scale Model Photography

Work In Progress Shots Using Photo Manipulation And Digital Arts

Ingenious Camera Angles In Scale Model Photographies

Work In Progress Using Scale Models

Digital Manipulation In Scale Model Photography

Felix Hernandez: Website | Facebook | Behance
via [PetaPixel]

Jessica Stewart

Jessica Stewart is a Contributing Writer and Digital Media Specialist for My Modern Met, as well as a curator and art historian. Since 2020, she is also one of the co-hosts of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. She earned her MA in Renaissance Studies from University College London and now lives in Rome, Italy. She cultivated expertise in street art which led to the purchase of her photographic archive by the Treccani Italian Encyclopedia in 2014. When she’s not spending time with her three dogs, she also manages the studio of a successful street artist. In 2013, she authored the book 'Street Art Stories Roma' and most recently contributed to 'Crossroads: A Glimpse Into the Life of Alice Pasquini'. You can follow her adventures online at @romephotoblog.
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