I like creating images using objects I find around the house or the garage. It's not quite an optical illusion apart from the fact that (with some imagination) you may think you're seeing something whereas actually it's an image of something very different.

The two main tricks I've found for making this work better are:

Get In Close

Do you remember seeing images of the hairs on an ant's antennae at school? That was a common one that I remember, no doubt you've your own memories of a time when you've been shown an image and it's turned out to something mundane but viewed under intense magnification. Although we're not going to get to that extreme close-up, getting in close can change the way we view an object.

Control the light

We're so used to seeing objects under normal lighting conditions, e.g. a single flourescent strip light or a tungsten lamp or two hanging from the centre of the ceiling. By changing the lighting, you can drastically alter the perceived shape of the subject.

Results

Both of these were used for the Stairway to Heaven image. I'll post that up shortly. There are a few others on their way as well. The first of these image is the Lords of Light image, posted to the Different Views gallery. The others will be posted to the same gallery.

More Information

In the meantime, you can see more details over at my Flickr page or at a Squidoo lens I've created on the subject of interesting images with everyday, common objects. The Squidoo lens details a few more ideas for creating these images.

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