Tilt shift camera

I hired out a tilt shift camera from Photography, I didn't even know what a tilt shift camera was but I told them I want to take photographs of architecture and this is what they suggested. I have to admit, it is a little scary as the lens itself is so big and heavy. However, my housemate does do photography so i will ask her about it as I have no idea how to work it. This weekend I will go out in Leeds have have a go myself to get more of a better idea of the style I want the photographs to be in.

On Wikipedia it said:

"Tilt-shift photography" refers to the use of camera movements on small- and medium-format cameras, and sometimes specifically refers to the use of tilt for selective focus, often for simulating a miniature scene. Sometimes the term is used when the shallow depth of field is simulated with digital post-processing; the name may derive from the tilt-shift lens normally required when the effect is produced optically.

"Tilt-shift" encompasses two different types of movements: rotation of the lens plane relative to the image plane, called tilt, and movement of the lens parallel to the image plane, called shift. Tilt is used to control the orientation of the plane of focus (PoF), and hence the part of an image that appears sharp; it makes use of the Scheimpflug principle. Shift is used to adjust the position of the subject in the image area without moving the camera back; this is often helpful in avoiding the convergence of parallel lines, as when photographing tall buildings.