It’s always great to see reminders that you don’t need to travel far afield to capture amazing images. It just takes a little creativity, as proven by self-taught photographer Steve Berry. He has done an incredible job of recreating scenes from James Cameron’s 1986 movie Aliens in miniature, right at home in his living room.
Using a mix of miniatures, practical effects and action figures, Berry – who also goes by the handle @robotwig – put together a selection of scenes that run through the key events of the movie. From Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and the crew’s arrival on LV-426, to the final showdown with the Alien Queen that results (spoilers for a 36-year-old movie) in the bisecting of the android Bishop, played by Lance Henriksen.
Steve Berry specialises in using practical effects in his recreations. Photo credit: Steve Berry
You can watch the full recreation on YouTube below. We particularly like the figurine of Private Hudson, played in the film by Bill Paxton – the expression on his face really captures the spirit of the character.
Steve Berry, who lives in Yorkshire, tells us that he started out his photographic journey a little over two years ago. It all began after he lost his job as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, and decided to throw himself into a new career path. ‘I’ve worked every single day non stop for 2.5 years creating new content and learning new skills,’ he says.
As you can see from this BTS still, a lot of work goes into making the final image look as good as it does. Photo credit: Steve Berry.
Recreating Aliens in miniature isn’t the first movie-based project Berry has tackled. He has previously recreated scenes of the first film in the series, Alien, as well as another James Cameron project, Terminator 2: Judgement Day. His Instagram page shows off the many, many movie scenes Berry has recreated in miniature. It also provides some glimpses behind the scenes of the shoots.
A still from Berry’s recreation of Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Photo credit: Steve Berry
If you would like to try your hand at creating images like these – well, you’ve got your work cut out for you! But good places to start are our macro photography tips and still-life photography tips. And you can also see plenty more inspiration at Steve Berry’s website, robotwig.com.
Further reading
Playing with perspective: The action figure photography of Daniel Picard
Best macro lenses for mirrorless and DSLRs
Top tips for stunning car photography
