Culture

Small Wonders: Life Portrait in Miniature

Itsy Bitsy

Dancing through a broccoli forrest and hanging 10 on a shiba inu wave through the lens of Japanese photographer Tatsuya Tanaka.

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Tatsuya Tanaka

For Tatsuya Tanaka, it's a small, small world.

He's been crafting dioramas and photographing them for seven years, utilizing common household objects and bringing them to life: An orange appears as a spaceship; Badminton birdies become a snow-covered tree; A scoop of turquoise ice cream transforms into Earth to serve as a backdrop for an astronaut's space walk.

Tanaka has mastered the art turning

The typically mundane becomes anything but through Tanaka's eye as he demonstrates a keen ability in making extraordinary portraits of ordinary life.

Currently, there's an show on display in Taiwan, but for those of us not in close proximity to the exhibition, Small Wonders—Life Portrait in Miniature, will be hitting bookshelves mid August.

Here, a selection of Tanaka's whimsical photographs:

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Shall We Dance?

Tatsuya Tanaka
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Chili Boats

Tatsuya Tanaka
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Lawn Mower

Tatsuya Tanaka
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Boat Race

Tatsuya Tanaka
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Crescent Moon

Tatsuya Tanaka
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Big Wave

Tatsuya Tanaka
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Big Wave

Tatsuya Tanaka

You can find more of Tanaka's photographs on his Instagram.