The amazing photographs that show the world's most famous landmarks replaced by cheap souvenirs

At a moment's glance this picture could be the real Big Ben.

But then you notice the hand below and the incredible optical illusion is revealed.

Tourist Michael Hughes today unveiled his extraordinary holiday snaps of the world's famous landmarks - perfectly blended with cheap souvenirs.

Michael, 56, stumbled across his unusual technique in 1998 and has perfected it after travelling to hundreds of famous sights.

His series of stunning photos include a Golden Gate fridge magnet slotted ideally into the San Francisco landscape.


A plastic Eiffel Tower toy between the camera and the steel structure creates an appearance that the top of the Paris landmark has been painted red, yellow and blue.

And a Big Ben money bank positioned next to the houses of parliament eclipses the original so well it could be mistaken for the real version.

Michael also held The Beatles' Abbey Road album in front of the famous London zebra crossing so it appears that the band members are actually walking across the road.


He has travelled to over 200 countries and has a collection of nearly 100 similar shots - but incredibly says he stumbled on the idea by accident.

British-born Michael, 56, who emigrated to Berlin, Germany with wife Marion, 52, and daughter Lea, 14, in 1983, said: 'I was on the tourist platform at the Lorelei cliffs next to the river Rhine when I held up a postcard I bought for my daughter.

'I was amazed because it just seemed to fill a massive grey hole that was in the sky and it was the exact position the photographer had taken the picture from.

'After that I noticed coffee cups from a shop near the Statue of Liberty had the statue printed on so I poured my drink on the floor, and position it in front of the statue.

'Since then taking the pictures has developed into a hobby and a passion to the point where I have been taking trips recently just to photograph a souvenir next to its landmark.'

Michael, who travels extensively with his job, said the hobby has progressed into a 'sport with its own rules'.

He arrives at the destination, visits the nearest souvenir and buys the cheapest souvenir.

Michael then takes up to 50 photographs with a wide angle lens on a digital camera until he has the ornament positioned in exact proportion to the landmark.
Enlarge Michael Hughes

He has photographed the Egyptian pyramids and Sphinx, London's red buses and the Berlin Brandenburg - all combined with their souvenirs.

The pictures have earned Michael more than 5 million hits on file-sharing website Flickr and an invite to appear on America's prime-time The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Michael, who works as a freelance photographer in Germany, added: 'I used to be a souvenir snob and I'd only buy the most expensive ornaments.

'Now I've turned that on its head by using cheap ones and doing this childish idea of putting them in the picture.

'Several photographers had toyed with the idea and some people do things like putting fingers above buildings but I'm the only person to do this.

'Thankfully it's actually very difficult to do it properly so nobody can copy me, though they do try.'

Michael has released 20 of the best images in a book called Souvenirs published by graphic designers Fivefootsix based in London.

He said: 'Souvenirs are actually something to prove somebody has had a life and they have been somewhere important.

'They are part of something sentimental that most people didn't like to admit to - I think they're pretty damn weird.'