Miniature person with a hat stands among large wooden furniture pieces.

Photographer Uses Figures And Everyday Objects To Capture Images In Dioramas That Look Like Real Places (45 Pics)

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Mike PrimaveraByMike Primavera

Some feelings are hard to put into words — so photographer Derrick Lin puts them into tiny worlds instead.

Since 2013, Lin has been building miniature dioramas out of small figures and ordinary household objects, then photographing them so convincingly that they read like snapshots of real places.

What started as a way to express the thoughts we tend to keep to ourselves has grown into a rich visual language covering everything from office burnout and loneliness to travel, nostalgia, and grief.

In Lin’s hands, a paperclip becomes a park bench and a spilled cup of coffee becomes a lake, and somehow these palm-sized scenes capture our biggest, most private emotions better than words ever could.

1.

Miniature figures working in a diorama with books and art supplies around.
Derrick Lin

2.

Miniature person in black coat and hat among large wooden structures and paper-like walls.
Derrick Lin

3.

Miniature orca figures swimming in a blue water scene on a windowsill.
Derrick Lin

4.

Miniature figure of a man walking on a bridge with a large ship in the background.
Derrick Lin

5.

Miniature woman figure with a handbag in a red-lit room with furniture and a potted plant.
Derrick Lin

6.

Miniature figures in a boat among green leaves, creating a diorama scene.
Derrick Lin

7.

Miniature farmers and sheep on a green diorama landscape with water and grass.
Derrick Lin

8.

Miniature tram and figure on a model city street scene.
Derrick Lin

9.

Miniature figure walking towards a traditional Japanese torii gate with autumn trees.
Derrick Lin

10.

Miniature elephants in a green liquid with a small elephant figure nearby.
Derrick Lin

11.

Miniature office scene with tiny desks, chairs, and a figure standing nearby.
Derrick Lin

12.

Miniature figurine on a red float in a swimming pool with palm trees outside.
Derrick Lin

13.

Miniature figure of a woman in a blue coat and hat looking out a window.
Derrick Lin

14.

Miniature black cats on blue paper with pencils, a mug, and a notebook.
Derrick Lin

15.

Miniature construction site with crane and tiny workers, seen through a window.
Derrick Lin

16.

Miniature scene of a person at a desk with papers flying around in a diorama setting.

17.

Miniature figure stands in front of a pink cherry blossom tree on a street.
Derrick Lin

18.

Miniature man figure sitting on the edge of a coffee cup, reading a book.
Derrick Lin

19.

Miniature figure of a man in orange jacket and green pants looking at a model cityscape.

20.

Miniature figures working on solar panels on a notebook with a mug and pencil in background.
Derrick Lin

21.

Person standing in a modern, abstract architectural space with geometric openings.

22.

Miniature figure sitting on a laundry machine in a laundry room diorama.
Derrick Lin

23.

Miniature man figure with a blue jacket and gray pants standing near a large red book.
Derrick Lin

24.

Miniature figures at airport window with airplane outside, detailed diorama scene.
Derrick Lin

25.

Miniature figures on a bus with a seated figure reading a book by a window.
Derrick Lin

26.

Miniature figure of a man in white coat and green pants among tall structures.
Derrick Lin

27.

Miniature man figure among potted plants and succulents in a diorama scene.
Derrick Lin

28.

Miniature figures of a woman and a man in a park with bicycles and trees.
Derrick Lin

29.

Miniature figure of a person on a balcony with a mug and greenery in the background.
Derrick Lin

30.

Miniature figure with dog on a rock by a pool, surrounded by trees.

31.

Miniature figures working on a detailed model of a Formula 1 car in a diorama.
Derrick Lin

32.

Miniature woman watering a large blue mug with sunlight and shadow effects.

33.

Miniature woman figure standing in front of a bookshelf with books and objects.
Derrick Lin

34.

Miniature figure in blue coat stands on a wooden stick among other sticks, with fog and clouds in a.
Derrick Lin

35.

Miniature figures on escalators with a blue background, resembling a real scene.
Derrick Lin

36.

Miniature man on a rock by a pool with palm trees and sunset in background.
Derrick Lin

37.

Miniature woman figure standing among blue foam tombstones in a diorama scene.
Derrick Lin

38.

Miniature woman sitting on blue seats at an airport terminal with luggage nearby.
Derrick Lin

39.

Girl in white dress and hat standing in front of sunflower field.
Derrick Lin

40.

Miniature man walking through a field of corn with a large mug in the background.
Derrick Lin

41.

Miniature bus stop with a figure of a woman and snow-covered trees outside.
Derrick Lin

42.

Miniature figures on an airplane, with seats and windows, creating a diorama scene.
Derrick Lin

43.

Miniature woman in green coat on orange walkway with white pipes overhead.
Derrick Lin

44.

Miniature woman figure looking out a window with a toy car outside.
Derrick Lin

45.

Miniature figure sitting at a table under a hanging light in a diorama scene.
Derrick Lin
Mike Primavera

Mike Primavera is a Chicago-based writer specializing in everything from humor to philosophy. Follow him on all social media at @primawesome