Sometimes, when we watch a psychological movie or visit an illusion museum, we may feel like our mind is playing tricks on us. But when we finally solve the puzzle behind the illusion, it brings us an amusing “a-ha!” moment that makes us feel good about ourselves.
It’s fascinating to see something, think it’s one thing, and then discover what it actually is. The subreddit ‘Confusing Perspectives’ is all about that experience. Here, members share mind-boggling photos and artwork that play with angles, scale, and composition, creating stunning illusions that can deceive even the most perceptive eye. We welcome you to dive into this surreal realm and have your mind pleasantly bewildered as we’ve gathered our favorite posts from the group. Be sure to upvote the ones that made you look twice… or thrice!
#1 Trippy
Seeing is believing, right? Well… not exactly, what you see may not be what you think you see. “Your senses gather information and send it to your brain. But your brain does not simply receive this information – it creates your perception of the world”, the American Museum of Natural History defines optical illusions on their page. This goes to show that your brain can fill in gaps or create images that aren’t really there. And the reason for that is evolution: “survival depends on fast reactions. Your brain has evolved to work quickly to piece together whatever bits and fragments it can get – and to do its best to figure out the rest.”
#2 Skiers Looking Like Music Notes
#3 The Moon Looks Like Saturn
Our brain is like a brilliant, blind supercomputer – it’s highly intelligent but cannot see. It’s just a clever blob! When we see things, our eyes send information to our brains for interpretation. The brain takes shortcuts and edits images before we consciously become aware of them. Optical illusions use these shortcuts to deceive or trick our brains.
#4 A Photo Of Cemetery Looks Like 2 Images Stitched Together
#5 Blankat
#6 Charge Your Electric Cat Here
There are many different kinds of illusions, like figure-ground illusion or depth perception illusion. Figure-ground illusion is when an image with an unclear distinction between the figure and the background can cause our minds to switch back and forth while trying to comprehend it.
#7 Why My Building Is Not Playing
#8 Obama Using His Powers
#9 Flintstone Jet?
One of the most well-known examples is the Rubin vase illusion, where you may see either two black faces or a white vase. Another instance is the Canadian flag illusion, where you may perceive a red maple leaf or two faces arguing head to head in white. These illusions play with our perception, creating captivating visual effects that challenge our understanding of reality.
#10 No This Is Not Cannibalism
#11 This Crane Looks Like Its Wearing My Sneakers
#12 The Perfect Pick Pocket
Another kind of illusion is the depth perception one. Our brains are used to perceiving a three-dimensional world, where objects higher in our visual field appear larger and farther away. The Ponzo illusion takes advantage of this by placing two parallel lines over converging lines on a two-dimensional surface. This creates a sense of depth, making it seem like the higher yellow line is larger. However, both yellow lines are the same size. It’s a fascinating trick that shows how our brain interprets visual information and can be deceived by certain visual cues.
#13 This Colorado Farmland Is Flat But Looks 3D After The Snow Was Blown Around
#14 This Cat Emerging From A TV
#15 They’re Really Good Friends
If you want to create optical illusions and make objects in photos appear larger, smaller, farther, or closer than they actually are, you should explore the technique called ‘Forced Perspective.’ It’s commonly used in photography, filmmaking, and architecture. It tricks our eyes into seeing something that seems impossible, but with creativity, we can make it look real.
#16 Don’t Worry, It’s Just A Sunset Reflection
#17 Dog In The Clouds
#18 Hiker Got Tired And Needed A Ride
You have to make a plan for how you will take a photo, prepare an interesting pose, and most importantly – practice the composition you want to achieve. Place objects in the right locations, move the camera slowly to connect them, avoid using a tripod to have more flexibility and position the subject you want to appear larger closer to the camera, and the one you want to appear smaller farther away. Lastly, use a high zoom, opt for a higher aperture (essential for depth of field), and experiment with focus and various angles to capture the best Forced Perspective shots.
#19 Centaur
#20 Sea Disk
#21 Cat
So, whether you’re an illusion enthusiast, an artist seeking inspiration, or simply someone eager to explore the realm of visual trickery, we hope some of these posts got you intrigued and inspired. Witness the world through a whole new lens by continuing to scroll through the rest of the ‘Confusing Perspectives’ posts. Continue the adventure of perception by checking out our previous post about the online community here.
#22 A Man Walking His Gigantic Cat
#23 Tall Building Without Window
#24 B2 Bomber Makes It Look Like The Sky Didn’t Load Properly
#25 Just A Ship Passing By (Xpost Pics)
#26 These Cows Are Small, But Those Cows Are Far Away . . . (Ikyk)
#27 Cat Beheaded
#28 Log Dog
#29 Petrol Head Goldie
#30 It Looks Like A Mockup Or A Giant, But It’s Just Me On The Second Floor Of The College
#31 Couple Kidnap Lady In A Sports Direct Bag!!
#32 Sky And Paint Same In Colors
#33 Bird Person
#34 Waving Hello
#35 Man Playing Billiards On My Car
#36 What Real Love Looks Like
#37 I Guess She Must Have A Cold Hand?
#38 This Dog
#39 Two Women With An Extra Arm
#40 Napping Comfortably
#41 A Photo I Took In Atlanta
#42 It’s A Mud Bath
#43 Babey
#44 Cat Or Bird?
#45 Hen With To Many Legs
#46 This Is Not What You Are Thinking It Is
#47 Swimsuit
#48 Not Two Separate Pictures
#49 “Crossing Over”, Photographed By Kenichi Ohno. Yes, This Is Not Photoshopped
#50 Cat Impaled
#51 This Concrete Pad
#52 Baby Face
#53 Birds Are Drones. Confirmed
#54 Two Cats On The Street
#55 Four Eyed Deer
#56 For A Split Second, I Thought Derek Truck’s Guitar Cable Was Coming Out Of My TV And I Was Very Confused
#57 Victorious Kneeling Giant
#58 Skipped Leg Day
#59 Hovering Bride
#60 Didn’t Know My Leg Had Been Amputated
#61 Kick Back And Relax
#62 The Clouds Shadows Make It Look Like They’re Floating Islands
#63 Wow These Costumes Are Getting So Realistic
#64 A Hulking Praying Mantis
#65 Just A Kiddo In The Bubble
#66 A Deformity
#67 Image I Took 3 Years Ago While Helping My Dad With Roofing Work
#68 That Kid Is Going Places
#69 What The Hell?
#70 It Shouldn’t Bend Like That
#71 Surreal Puddle In A Parking Garage
#72 Estonian Javelin Thrower Magnus Kirt Impaling Himself
#73 Ouch
#74 Unintentionally Seductive…
#75 Reflection Of A Water Tower
#76 Explanation: The Rock Is Just Reflecting In Some Water That You Can’t See Because Of Fog
#77 This Is Not A Little Person Ice Skating
#78 Fleshball, Smells Great
#79 The Invasion Has Already Begun
#80 Everything Starts To Look Like Food When I Skip Lunch
#81 A Furniture Delivery Truck Parked Behind Me On Lunch Break
#82 Hidden By Tattoo
#83 An Awkward Prom Pose…?
#84 The Ice On The Trees Looks Like A Reflection In The Water Or Clouds
#85 Sexy Legs (And Also, Cute Dog)
#86 Two Giants Standing Over Tiny Fields
#87 Thought It Was A Stuffed Animal
#88 Shrunken Head
#89 Building Caused A Shadow To Line Up Perfectly With A Light Pole
#90 Announcer’s Cuff Gives Dustin A Full Head Of Hair
#91 The Cat Is Quite Tall, Like An At-At Walker From Star Wars
#92 Which One Is The Correct One?
#93 This Picture If A Friend Hiking Makes Him Look Like A Giant Sitting Amongst Mountains
#94 Which Way Is Up
#95 Soulless Being Or…
#96 Get Ready For A Tiny Guy Way Up High
#97 Set Up This Beautiful Miniature Living Room For My Cat And She Chooses To Sit On The Rug
#98 I Opened Up A Secret Door Behind A Book Case And It LED Me To This (Oc)
#99 What The Guard Doin?
#100 Longest Finger?
#101 That’s Not Her Arm
#102 My Dog’s Legs
#103 Fancy Turban
#104 This Picture Of My Cousins Looks Like Two Pictures Pieced Together
#105 Relaxing On Waterside
#106 Belgian Soldier Caked Up
#107 Took This Pic Yesterday The Sides Of The Buildings Were The Exact Same Colour Of The Sky
#108 City In The Sky
#109 Pillars Casting Their Own Shadows Looking Like They Are Hollowed Out
#110 I’m Confused
#111 The Rock Taking A Selfie Of Himself Gleefully Backhanding A Fan
#112 Velociraptor, Double Jointed Or Broken
#113 Thought These Dividers Were See Through
#114 A Huge Hole In The Ocean?
#115 Can Anyone Explain This? Lol … So Creepy … (I Was Not The Shadow) …
#116 Banana Flower…i Think?
#117 This Building Having Trouble Loading Textures
#118 Fishing Trip
#119 Eshima Ohashi Bridge, Japan – Actually Just 6.1% Gradient
#120 A Woman Stuck To A Man
#121 We Visited Craters Of The Moon And Took A Photo In The Cave. It Looks Like We Are Standing In Front Of A Green Screen…
#122 The Shine On This Filing Cabinet Makes It Look Like It’s Fading Away
#123 Is The Chair Facing The Water Or The Grass? Can You See It Both Ways?
#124 Floating Ship
#125 The Man With 4 Arms
#126 Billionaires Sure Give Tiny Glasses Of Champagne
#127 My Boyfriend Is Installing New Wood Floors On His Stairs, And Sent Me This Picture To Show Off His Progress
#128 I Thought She Was Wearing Toe Socks
#129 Cutting Open An Apalca
#130 Mirror Taken To The Curb On Trash Day
#131 Cate Blanchett Leans On Tiny Photographer
#132 Continuing The Trend Of Pics That Look Badly Photoshopped, Here’s Mine From Cerocahui Mexico
#133 Her Waist Isn’t That Tiny
#134 This Shot From Breaking Bad That Looks Like Two Separate Images
