The amazing Anthony Schmidt is still at it.

[Steve Jelf]

I am in awe of this young man's talent. I hope someday he will do an all-Model T calendar.

If you've been to this place you've probably already noticed his wonderful bit of stage managing in this shot.

And he does it all with a phone camera!


https://anthonyryanschmidt.com/about

[Henry K. Lee]

Oh My God! You have to be kidding me!

[modeltspaz]

I recall that there was a gentleman who would stage photos like this, but his were set in the late 30s through the 50s. The cars and trucks he used were of the Franklin Mint type. They were stunning.
The man used the models in settings built by him. Buildings, town squares, that sort of thing. If you looked at the photos you would probably say that those were real buildings, until he would show the shot from way back showing the smaller models at a distance in front of the real buildings in the background. I understand that this gentleman has passed away since. Very sad.
I have a personal attraction to things such as this. I was a Senior Prototype Model Maker for Mattel Toy Company for 14 years until 2017 when Mattel "Retired" me. Although we didn't build dioramas like this, I appreciate the work that goes into things like this.
Great work, Anthony.

[tdump]

Mike is that the fellow that used to make alot of Howard Johnson's pictures with the mini stuff?
He made a photo for a friends anniversary of the Howard Johnson motel and their names on the sign and such ,was really neat.

I think this is the fellow I am thinking of
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oW7BkuZtto

[modeltspaz]

Mack,
His name was Michael Paul Smith and he passed away from complications from diabetes.
There's a video about him on YouTube.

Mike.

[dobro1956]

Steve, Thanks for posting this. I have been following him for sometime now. His work is amazing. His age and having autism just makes it more amazing. He funds his hobby by selling calendars and prints. If a person wants to see more of his work, just Google his name or go to his website. There is lots of info out there. I believe the other person mentioned above was someone Anthony used as inspiration. I believe I read a story on his site about Anthony and the person mentioned above. ??

[Rich Eagle]

Thanks for posting this. He is truly amazing.
Some other fine things are on the miniatures thread.
https://www.mtfca.com/phpBB3/viewtopic. ... res#p41650
What fun, but the time.....
Rich

[dobro1956]

............

[Wayne Sheldon]

Autism is a bizarre, fascinating, frustrating, often infuriating disability. Sometimes, it should be thought of as a "super-ability". The brain somehow (not yet really understood) is miswired causing the person's perception and focus to be way off the norm. Most autistics are highly intelligent. They have difficulty relating to us, and most of us cannot relate to them at all. This causes a great deal of frustration for them, and often results in episodes of acting out. If some interest can be found for them to express themselves? They quite often excel at it!
I have known several autistics over the years, through friends or work connections. Those connections have caused me to watch rare specials that sometimes would show up on television. The stories about their bizarre (to us) focus are often astounding. If a "normal" person gets a rare opportunity to get to know an autistic? They often have a wicked sense of humor! Nobody usually realizes it, but some of their strange comments are jokes. One very young fellow I got to know for a short while through work used to make strange non sequitur remarks that would have me laughing like crazy! He clearly enjoyed that I "got" his jokes! (Maybe I have a touch of autism????)

Thank you Steve J et al for sharing all this.

[John Codman]

Elon Musk has a form of Autism.

[Marty Bufalini]

This kid is amazing!