You’ve likely seen a photo that, at first glance, made you think, “Is this even real?” The image was so captivating that it made you wonder if it had been Photoshopped. And with technology these days, the possibilities are endless.
But no. None of these pictures underwent any form of manipulation. They were just perfectly timed, with the right blend of colors and shapes in one snapshot. These have been shared around the internet, and we’ve picked out those that stood out.
Scroll through, and if you’re into photography for a living or as a hobby, these could give you some ideas on what to shoot next.
#1 Sunrise In Alice Springs, NT, Australia
Image credits: Semajiscool
#2 A School Of Jellyfish Congregated Under This Boat
Image credits: pants35
#3 I’ll Just Take This
Image credits: reddit.com
The concept of manipulation existed way before the birth of Adobe Photoshop in 1990. According to the National Science and Media Museum, it came as “darkroom trickery,” where photographers used clever layering techniques in their negatives.
The first example of this happened in the 1920s by Russian artist Alexander Rodchenko, who used scissors for a literal cut-and-paste method to create a collage using multiple photos.
#4 A Pixelated Cat
Image credits: yudoit
#5 Doggo Is Blessed
Image credits: d3333p7
#6 Sunset At Henley Beach, South Australia 24/8/24
Image credits: EuphoricMap2490
Photoshop and photo manipulation are now considered art forms. In 2020, the Yorkshire Photographic Union featured digitally enhanced photographs in its collection.
The annual competition dedicated an entire category to altered realities through images to celebrate the modern take on photography through digital technology.
#7 Twice The Fun With None Of The Mess!
Image credits: itsbdubya
#8 The Reflection Of The Pool Table At This Bar Signed Perfectly With The Interior Of The Car Outside
Image credits: reddit.com
#9 This Reflection Of The Sky On A Building Looks Like The Sky
Image credits: TG–
The social media era also brought about a new age in photo manipulation. All of a sudden, everyone who owned a smartphone had the ability to enhance their pictures through filters.
For professional photographers, these advancements are a blessing and a curse. While they provide a convenient method of capturing moments, they also offer a distorted view of reality.
#10 A Single Photo Of Some Trees And Water
Image credits: sarazond
#11 Sailing Through The Sky
Image credits: sadturtle12
#12 This Is Not AI, But Two Buildings In Łódź Photographed By Me From Such A Perspective That It Would Seem That They Constitute A Whole. ?the Światowit Hotel Being Demolished With The Zus Skyscraper In The Background. A Thread About A Small Project That I Completed In February This Year On The Subject Of Łódź Contrasts
Image credits: hashtagalek
“Selfie culture” has heavily contributed to reality distortion through Instagram filters and has reached alarming levels. For clinical education specialist Krista Crotty, it may induce self-esteem and mental health issues, especially for younger people.
“In between that authentic self and digital self lives a lot of anxiety, because it’s not who you really are. You don’t look like the photos that have been filtered,” Crotty told MIT Technology Review in a 2021 interview.
#13 I Snapped This Photo Of A Cardinal Jumping And It Looks Like He Is Floating
Image credits: the_pride_of_VPI
#14 Extremely Rare Rainbow Cloud Over Hcmc
Image credits: rozdolla
#15 I Caught A Rainbow In A Clear Mineral Selenite. It’s Looks Like Marvel’s Infinity Stone
Image credits: dendy_d
However, photo manipulation isn’t all bad. As graphic design service provider Color Clipping Ltd. points out, it’s a way to make photographs stand out by stirring emotions, apart from improving quality. It also boosts one’s brand, as it can help with product recall.
Ultimately, it’s about finding the balance between reality distortion and enhancement. But if you want to achieve eye-catching images organically, as seen on this list, timing is your best friend.
#16 Hades And His Rainbow Colored Nose
Image credits: Lara1507
#17 Small Man Does Balancing Act On Old Man’s Head
Image credits: friskyfrog
#18 Levitating Water
Image credits: ginpahit
Now, we’d like to hear from our readers. Which of these photos stood out to you? For photographers, do any of these concepts pique your interest? Let us know in the comments!
#19 Bird Flew By During A Picture. Now It Looks Like A Giant Bird Landed On My Head
Image credits: Ok-Atmosphere8982
#20 Roasting My Hot Dog Over An Open Flame
Image credits: aLittleDoubt
#21 Swimming Pool Illusion
Image credits: Teerendog
#22 Saw This Weird Cloud While Running
Image credits: JVillan
#23 A Photo Taken Atop A Ferris Wheel
Image credits: PandaCod3r
#24 Grass Area Looks Like It’s In A Cup
Image credits: whywee
#25 Napping Comfortably
Image credits: MissingTheSun
#26 This Diving Photo I Took Of My Friend Makes It Look She’s Doing A Handstand On Water
Image credits: tencents1010
#27 Double Dog
Image credits: nevetsprog
#28 Who’s A Good Boy?
Image credits: demonicskip
#29 A Very Long Cow!
Image credits: giackgiack
#30 Strong Winds In Salt Lake This Week
Image credits: zeldadorf
#31 This Picture My Mom Took Of My Sister
Image credits: maddieecake
#32 Light Pillars From My Bedroom Window. First Time I See Them Not Touch Down!
Image credits: db_nrst
#33 My Salty Camera Lens Turned My Boyfriend Translucent
Image credits: dani4688
#34 Paper Thin Building
Image credits: lord_of_the_nazgul
#35 This Building That Looks Like A Single Wall Of Windows
Image credits: seanssy
#36 Meet The Alabama Hover Donkey, She Is Pregnant And You Can’t See Her Feet
Image credits: speedycat2014
#37 A Floating Stone
Image credits: Sam_Emmers
#38 Floating Ship
Image credits: KAPH86
#39 This Year’s Last Supermoon Rising Over Santa Cruz’s Walton Lighthouse
Image credits: timtamtoosh
#40 Someone Trew The Sky!
Image credits: Rocksquare69
#41 My Friends Jacket Is Made Entirely Out Of Reflective Material… This Is What A Picture With Flash Looks Like
Image credits: kwkkly
#42 Summoning Demons
Image credits: frituurgarnituur
#43 The Clouds Failed To Render
Image credits: HopefulSwine2
#44 South Meridian Ave. Not Ps’d
Image credits: rtodd23
#45 Magic Carpets: The Art Of Faig Ahmed’s Melted And Pixellated Rugs, Where Pieces Sell For Upwards Of $15,000 (£11,870). Typically, They Begin As A Classic Pattern That Encounters An Obstacle Or Glitch, A Sort Of Technical Meltdown
Image credits: zakuria44
#46 This Morning Reflection From My Front Door
Image credits: embracingfit
#47 Actual Purple Rain In NYC Right Now
Image credits: reddit.com
#48 This Photo Taken By My Husband Makes It Look Like A Portal Opened In The Sky
Image credits: Historical-Ad5973
#49 Orange Cloud In The Sky
Image credits: theonlybandthatmatte
#50 My GF Captured The Exact Moment The Lights Changed Colour At The Concert
Image credits: TheREco5
#51 Sky Parking
Image credits: bevflora
#52 This Is One Photo Of A Camping Store In Tokyo
Image credits: theroors223
#53 Mr. Tiny Legs
Image credits: DiosMioMan63
#54 The Timing Of This Image Makes It Look Like My Nephew Is A Waterbender
Image credits: KellJoy
#55 ? Golden Himalayan Mountains
Image credits: Dr_Apk
#56 My Dad Took This Photo Of “White Shadows” That Appeared When Only The Snow Around The Shadows Melted
Image credits: HJGamer
#57 My Dad Took This Photo In 2008 In Co. I Remember Playing Outside And Looking Up And Saw A Green Funnel Cloud
Image credits: skobearzz
#58 I Took This Photo Of The Moon With A 3D-Printed Telescope And My Smartphone
Image credits: __Augustus_
#59 I Must Go Now, My People Need Me
Image credits: HuckleMyBerries
#60 Split Skies. Daytime In The Front, Sunset In The Back
Image credits: frenchcat808
#61 When The Rendering Fails On One Pixel
Image credits: ssigea
#62 Oh-Chan Explaining About The Typhoon
Image credits: maa_aa2
#63 Bike Was Towed With Brakes Engaged
Image credits: Upper_Character
#64 Just A Cat Watching The Neighborhood
Image credits: tacticalbear3
#65 My Peeler Gives Pixelated Looking Peels
Image credits: blueskiesarepretty
#66 Hovering Canoe
Image credits: bambuk1000
#67 Photograph Of An Abandoned Hotel
Image credits: irukubo
#68 Prayers To All Of You
Image credits: brendanh_au
#69 Baby Takes Leg Day Seriously
Image credits: mistame
#70 This Angle Of My Car After A Good Polish
Image credits: StR33tL1GhT
#71 My Brother Looks Invisible In This Photo I Took Of Him
Image credits: Mountain_Corgi_2757
#72 When Ice Crystals Turn Streetlights Into Sky Beams
Image credits: dartanner
#73 I Somehow Managed To Take This Photo At The Exact Moment The Balloon Popped So It Looks Like A Balloon Ghost!!
Image credits: unicornheadstands
#74 My Orange Toolbox Looks Like A Real Life Pickup Item Under My Room’s Blue Light
Image credits: MSFoxhound
#75 From The Summit Of Mt. Hood Yesterday Before Having To Deal With Rime Ice/Hoarfrost Straight From Hell On The Descent. Pearly Gates Ascent And Old Chute Descent
Image credits: DasSherminator
#76 Australia (Bowen Basin)
Image credits: LaserCleanSolutions
#77 Zero Shadow Day
Image credits: mayonnaisexd_
#78 Ceiling Light Reflection
Image credits: MotherKokoNutz
#79 This Photo Makes My Friend Look Like A Cardboard Cutout
Image credits: Large_Island3199
#80 Bus Stop Next To The Sea
Image credits: pluijmie
#81 Was Looking On Marketplace
Image credits: castledanger61
#82 Day At The Bark
Image credits: bodbybakedbeans
#83 Rendering Error
Image credits: BurstYourBubbles
#84 Optical Illusion Of The Day: Texas Edition
Image credits: Liv_Boeree
#85 My Floating Cat
Image credits: WarToasters
#86 The Reflection In The Glass Shelter Wall Makes This Pillar Look Transparent
Image credits: Piruh
#87 This Is A Photo Of A Car
Image credits: vapejews
#88 A World Shifting Lake Day
Image credits: nayrthomas
#89 Every Night This Light/Laser Comes From Out Of Nowhere And Appears To Be Thousands Of Miles Long
Image credits: Apenerd
#90 Image Reflected From Double Glazing Window Is Aligned With A Real Image Of Sun And Clouds Behind The Pillar
Image credits: Tyaden_tyadenovich
#91 Long Man Kneels To Watch Some Local Football
Image credits: Morning_93
#92 Taken On The Canadian Praries But Kinda Looks Like It’s The Moon
Image credits: CanadianMcManager
#93 Minecraft Shibe
Image credits: honeycoffeebreakfast
#94 My Two Headed Dog
Image credits: Wonderlustking1
#95 Giant Squirrel Spotted Across The Road
Image credits: couchresin
#96 This Photo I Took Of My Blueberries Look Fake And Made Of Velvet When I Used Flash
Image credits: tinyclap
#97 A Bee Flew Towards The Camera At The Exact Moment We Took A Picture
Image credits: iamhere1st
#98 Night Before I Left NYC
Image credits: Toregen103
#99 This Is The Effect Greenhouse Lights Have On The Night Sky In My Hometown
Image credits: AMartii
#100 Help! My Bird’s Head Fell Off. What Should I Do?
Image credits: FlamingoFister
#101 I Went Above The Fog
Image credits: reddit.com
#102 I Took A Picture At The Exact Right Moment During A K-Pop Concert To Make It Look Like One Of The Singers Was Being Censored By Falling Confetti
Image credits: UnusualWind5
#103 I Went To Take A Photo Of My New Apartment With Flash, But All It Did Was Make My Purse Glow
Image credits: pinkregret
#104 Door Handle Is Actually Behind The TV
Image credits: surubelnita8
#105 A Photo I Took The Exact Moment She Clicked A Picture With Flash
Image credits: k3nny_13
