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.

Aliens recreation by Steve Berry @robotwig

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.

Aliens recreation by Steve Berry

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.

Terminator recreation by Steven Berry @robotwig

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


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