World landmarks playfully transformed with paper cut-outs

Trafalgar Square's lions become much less menacing

(Rich McCor)

You might see a fountain, but photographer Rich McCor sees a popped champagne bottle. The Eiffel Tower? It’s a rocket taking off, obviously.

The London native has quietly amassed a strong Instagram following thanks to his simple yet striking images of famous buildings, statues and monuments from around the world - completely reimagined with just a slip of black paper.

“My first idea was using a cut-out to transform Big Ben into a wristwatch,” McCor told Bored Panda.

“Whilst I was there, a girl and her father took an interest in what I was doing and I showed them the photo on my camera screen. They were full of enthusiasm for the idea, and it spurred me on to do more.

“[My work] led me to Stockholm, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Paris - I crammed in so much in the few days I was in each city, running around with a camera, handful of cut-outs and a head full of random facts to accompany each photo.”

You can view more of his photos here.

 

The Little Mermaid taking a selfie; Shot for #lpkids (@lonelyplanet's brand for little adventurers). Hans Christian Anderson (who wrote the fairy tale) always took some unusual pieces of equipment with him when he travelled, including a rope in case a fire broke out and he was forced to escape through a window. Fortunately he never needed it #lonelyplanet #copenhagen #denmark #kopenhagen #visitcopenhagen #selfiestick #sea #paperart #sky #VisitDenmark #somewhereincopenhagen #citytrip #instaart #igerscopenhagen #wanderlust #travel #adventure #travelbreak #travelandlife #intrepidtravel
#bestintravel #passionpassport #disney #hanschristiananderson #thelittlemermaid #selfie #Denlillehavfrue #cutout #paper

A photo posted by Rich McCor (@paperboyo) on Oct 9, 2015 at 11:33pm PDT

 

Fun fact-there is a man in Paris, who invites complete strangers to his house for a dinner party each week. He's been doing this for 30+ years. If you're heading to Paris, you can register on his website to be invited. Here's the link: http://www.jim-haynes.com/contact/ #eiffel #eiffeltower #instaart #paris #parisjetaime #parisian #topparisphoto #visitparis #parismaville #igersparis #loves_paris #igersfrance #citytrip #wanderlust #travel #adventure #passionpassport #instagram #travelandlife #intrepidtravel #adventure #instagoodmyphoto #guardiancities #guardiantravelsnaps #bestintravel #paperart #loves_paris #art #silhouette #architecture #architecturelovers

A photo posted by Rich McCor (@paperboyo) on Oct 22, 2015 at 4:57am PDT

 

The Af Chapman boat has had almost as many lives as a cat- it began travelling the world transporting goods, the Swedish Navy then bought it and used it as a training ship and then in WW2 it was used as barracks. After the war it was saved from being scrapped and today it's moored up on Skeppsholmen. The great thing is, you can rent a room and spend the night onboard #wanderlust #travel #stockholm #visitstockholm #igersstockholm #this_is_stockholm #viewstockholm #stockholm_insta #stockholmfoto #stoccolma #adventure #passionpassport #passport #boat #ship #silhouette #instaphoto #instaart #paperart #cutout #afchapman #hostel #gamlastan #igswstockholm0915 #skeppsholmen @stockholmboats #hotel #sailing #stockholm_insta #instagoodmyphoto #mashpics

A photo posted by Rich McCor (@paperboyo) on Sep 7, 2015 at 5:04am PDT

 

It's Friday Perfect excuse to crack open a bottle and celebrate the weekend don't you think? I'm off to Amsterdam on Sunday with my camera for a few days- any recommendations? #towerbridge #cityhall #champagne #fountain #igerslondon #shutup_london #prettycitylondon #london #lovelondon #londonlife #londonpop #visitlondon #travel #instalondon #instaart #wanderlust #lifeofadventure #worlderlust #timeoutlondon #ilovelondon #instagoodmyphoto #instaart #instaphoto #londonforyou #lonelyplanet #morelondon #bestintravel #igworldclub #worldtravelpics #silhouette #thisislondon

A photo posted by Rich McCor (@paperboyo) on Sep 25, 2015 at 4:03am PDT

 

Towards the end of WWI, France built a ‘Second Paris’ near the capital city to confuse German pilots. It was located near the town of Maisons-Laffitte, on a stretch of the River Seine. As well as replicas of iconic landmarks, including the Arc de Triomphe, it even had sham streets lined with electric lights so that from the sky it would look like a real city. Shot for #lpkids (@lonelyplanet's brand for little adventurers) #arcdetriomphe #lonelyplanet #instaart #paris #parisjetaime #parisian #topparisphoto #visitparis #parismaville #igersparis #loves_paris #igersfrance #citytrip #wanderlust #travel #adventure #passionpassport #instagram #travelandlife #intrepidtravel #adventureinstagoodmyphoto #guardiancities #guardiantravelsnaps #bestintravel #lego #paperart #loves_paris #champselysees #silhouette

A photo posted by Rich McCor (@paperboyo) on Oct 18, 2015 at 9:08am PDT

 

Turning St George Wharf Tower into the Eye of Sauron #igerslondon #shutup_london #prettycitylondon #london #lovelondon #londonlife #londonpop #therisingtide #visitlondon #travel #instaart #instaphoto #instalondon #sunset #clouds #instagoodmyphoto #mashpics #boredpanda #wanderlust #passionpassport #lifeofadventure #worlderlust #timeoutlondon #culturetrip_ldn #passport #ilovelondon #gadv #stgeorgewharf #lotr @london

A photo posted by Rich McCor (@paperboyo) on Sep 13, 2015 at 11:21am PDT

 

Sundae service at St Paul's #stpauls #stpaulscathedral #icecream #travel #london #instalondon #creative_camera #bbctravel #photography #instaphoto #fantastic_earth #letsgosomewhere #passionpassport #lifeofadventure @earthfocus @discoverearth #thisislondon #londonlife #cityoflondon #instalondon #streetart #london4all #londontown #creative #silhouette #art #instaart #paperart #architecture #ilovelondon #gadv #londonforyou #mashpics @london @daveburt

A photo posted by Rich McCor (@paperboyo) on Aug 31, 2015 at 12:15am PDT