Fake tilt-shift photography
Using a tilt-shift lens like this monster (more about that here) you can trick the brain into thinking that an ordinary photograph is actually an intricate model.
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If you don’t want to bother with the expensive lens, you can fake this in Photoshop, or even better in the GIMP. Here was my best shot:
(Schoolchildren crossing the road near the controversial Yasukuni Shrine. Click for big).
It’s tricky to get the right image and the right technique for this. The source image is crucial. Ideally it would be a shot taken from a height showing a relatively flat, open scene stretching off into the distance. The shot should contain lots of detail — cars, people, buildings, etc., but ’shopping is complicated if there are any raised structures/poles/etc. poking up from the scene, so avoid those. The process using the GIMP is relatively straightforward, but it relies on proper use of the Quick Mask feature (don’t make the mistake I did and do a google search for “gimp mask”!). The final step of adjusting the colour curves is also important.