I've been seeing a number of photographers using a technique that people are calling "tilt-shift", or "miniature". Simply put, you narrow your depth-of-field dramatically to a narrow band in the photograph, putting both foreground and background strongly out of focus. The effect makes the scene in the photograph look like a miniature model (like photographs of a model train set).
To be honest, I'm not a big fan. Occasionally I see an interesting photograph, but most often, these photographs look more like a gimmick than a serious photograph. I also dislike the term "tilt-shift" for this technique. Yes, tilt-shift lenses can create this effect, but that's not why photographers use it.
However, photographer Tristan Greszko has created a video called A Tiny Day in the Jackson Hole Backcountry, that is really fun to watch (use full-screen!). Moreover, he has some great skiing, mountain and nature photography on his website. It's really worth a visit.
So, maybe the gimmick works after all.
. . . Rob Williams
http://www.robertwilliamsphotography.ca
Personal observations about landscape and nature photography