Tilt shift photography is a technique that helps photographers create the illusion of a miniature world. It is also used in filmmaking to create smooth transitions from establishing shots to close-ups, like zooming in on a model village. This effect is nothing new; it was originally discovered back when film black and white cameras were the primary way of capturing a moment. Though this effect is still applicable to modern-day digital cameras.

Normally, the lens is parallel with the camera sensor, but when using tilt-shift lenses, the lens can be tilted at different angles to put different objects in the main plane of focus, not just objects in the middle. You can also use this effect to blur the top and bottom of your image to simulate your eyes' plane of focus when looking at tiny objects; that is called the tilt effect.

Recently, it has become possible to apply the tilt effect in software like Photoshop or Lightroom, by applying a blur with a gradient. This effect has also been added to social media apps like Instagram.

This effect was one of the defining styles of the 2018 film Game Night, and has been used in many other films before and since then.

As tilt-shift lenses are expensive, I have enjoyed using this effect on my photos in Photoshop. I have not yet found a use case for it, but I would definitely recommend trying it out, to add another tool to your arsenal.