It’s always fun to click candid photos (or be caught in the frame ourselves). Imagine trying to capture a friend mid-laughter or snapping your doggo in a playful mood. It sounds like an exciting and challenging task, right? Well, the result could be a blurry mess or a shot that deserves a spot on the wall at home, you never know.
But, today we are only focusing on candid masterpieces. The “r/AccidentalArtGallery'' subreddit, in their own words, is the ultimate destination for such spontaneous (read: accidental) shots. Whether it's a candid photo resembling a Medieval painting, Pop Art, or an Ice Age cave drawing, they've got it covered. Keep scrolling to check out pics that we find truly captivating.
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Nature Is Watching Us
Undulatus Asperatus Clouds
The Way My Windscreen Froze
We all know the struggle behind getting a good photo: finding the right light that doesn't make you look like a ghost or a potato, trying to find an aesthetic background and let's not forget about the stress of trying to coordinate outfits or make sure everyone's eyes are open.
Studies show a staggering 1.72 trillion photos were captured in 2023. Which means every single day, between 4.1 billion and 4.7 billion photos are snapped globally. Within the 47,564 photos taken every single second lie those rare moments when you might accidentally capture a masterpiece, just like the ones featured in this post.
Cat Bathed In Light From Stained Glass Window
On My Morning Drive To Work This Morning
Misty Sunrise In Finland 📸raija Kokkola
Photography is all about storytelling. And candid photos show intimate moments of a tale beautifully. Usually, when we pose for pictures, the classic "say cheese" prompt leads us to put on a smile and strike a nice pose. But what if people were in their natural element, unaware of the camera's gaze?
Candid photos favor spontaneity over techniques, ambiance over production, and context over explicit messaging. But it’s not always easy to get one, is it? The secret to taking spontaneous photos is to always have a camera or phone at hand. That means, when the moment comes, you can easily snap a few shots, and (if everything goes smoothly) get a fantastic result.
Birds On Limbs
Ever Since My Niece Saw Toy Story, She Shouts “I’m Leaving!” And Then Peeks At Her Room Like This
Accidental Cubism
Oranges Photographed Through The Glass Pane Of A Greenhouse
Et Ascendit Cattus
Everybody was Cat Fu fighting . . . Come on, everybody, sing along with me.
Sun Bathing
Sometimes it takes a lot of tries to be able to get a good click, and this is especially true for candid photos. It’s helpful to put the settings on burst mode. This allows you to get multiple photos in quick succession with just one press of the shutter button. And you can easily seize those precious moments: the stolen glances, contagious laughter, and subtle tension that make each instant unforgettable.
And when capturing rainy scenes, bustling traffic, or the world around us, the burst mode helps to get every detail and movement with precision. Imagine you're standing on a busy street, trying to capture the energy of the moment with your camera. As the cars zip by and people hurry past, you are able to freeze the scene - the blur of motion, the splash of raindrops, and the vibrant colors of the city.
Snowflakes On My Car Windshield
Cat Covets Whole-A*s Duck, Vermeer, 1659
Window Frame = Picture Frame. The View From My Bedroom
Another way to find a good subject is to go to places with lots of action - markets, train stations, festivals, parties and places of work are all good places. In such settings, you learn how to work with natural lighting and discover lots of opportunities to capture interesting photos. As people go about their daily routines and activities, one just needs to wait for the right time and opportunity.
The Side Of The Dumpster Behind The Bar
My Daughter's First Loose Tooth - Reminds Me Of A Modern Day Norman Rockwell
Reminds Me Of Magritte
Even though candid photos are spur-of-the-moment, you can research and find a good time to get the perfect click. Some things are easy to anticipate because they are predictable. For instance, if you want a mesmerizing photo of the sunset, you know exactly when it’s going to happen. Then you can look for great spots with clear views of the horizon. While spontaneity is important for authenticity and charm, taking a moment to focus on the details gives clarity.
Polar Bears At An Abandoned Soviet Weather Station
Obviously it's not abandoned. Bears live there.
I Took This Picture Of Some Ducks And It Looks Like Part Of A Painting
Urban Tango
To add a twist to your photos, consider changing your perspective. Instead of shooting from eye level, try getting closer to the ground or maybe go higher by climbing stairs or standing on bridges. Have fun and try to capture a unique perspective while remaining discreet. Getting a perfect shot during that split second of time requires you to get creative.
Itap Of Ripples On A Lake At Dawn
My Windshield Looked Like A Watercolour
The Taste Of Glory
This seems like a particularly trustworthy group when it comes to what something tastes like.
Let's say you're at a crowded market, you stand upright and snap a few photos of the vegetable vendors at eye level. While these are nice, they don’t exactly turn out to be masterpieces. Now, if you switch things up and change the angle of the lens, you are able to get colorful displays of produce as well. The result? A visually striking image.
But don’t put too much pressure on yourself, you never know when you might accidentally get a beautiful pic. Have you ever unintentionally captured something interesting? Out of these pictures, which one did you like the most?
Suloszowa - A Small Village In Poland, Caught From Birdseye View
This Picture Out Of Palestine Looks Like Something From A History Book
Hector By The Fireplace
It Screm
Got My Grandpa's Old Film Developed And Found This!
If I Fits, I Turns Into A Non-Newtonian Fluid And Just Sort Of Oozes Cuteness
A Bit Of Fluff On My Blanket That Looks Like A Man Running Up A Hill
Rain On My Sunroof
Looks like broken bits of glass, all ready to be pieced together.
My Countertop Looked Like A Still Life Painting Today
Ukrainian Cows [accidental Absurdism]
The Creation Of Adam, Michelangelo, C. 1508-1512
A Bison Wallows In The Dust On The American Prairie Reserve, In Central Montana. Credits: @amytoensing
YOU tell him to stop wallowing. I'm not going to!
Kissers
🔥 Hardening Lava Making It Seem Like Bodies Are Going Into Hell 🔥
The Patron
My Printer Made One Last Page Before It Died
It Popped Right Off
He Is Risen
My Coffee Break At San Francisco Moma Yesterday Turned Into An Accidental Portrait Of Covid Society
'la société solitaire' (2020) by Moma (b. 1968). Oil on canvas. (Just invented a story around it 🙃)
Standing Rock Protest. Looks Like A Painting, But It’s A Photo
The Dakota Access Pipeline Protests, also known by the hashtag #NoDAPL, were a series of grassroots Native American protests against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline in the northern United States that began in April 2016. - Wikipedia
Looked Like Lady Liberty Leading The People To Me
The Miserable Facade Of Post Modernism In One Photo
Hornets Nest That Formed Around The Face Of A Wooden Statue That Was Left In A Shed
I believe hornets'nests to be beautiful creations -give them something to work with and they get even better!!
Accidental Caravaggio
Tried To Take A Picture Of The Capitol Building In Dc Through The Pouring Rain
Accidental Magritte
My wife's photograph of the Taipei 101 building at night from our hotel room looks like a painting Taipei-101...a20374.jpg
I could be clicking and up voting all day. This is a wonderful collection and it says a lot about this Bored Panda site that it has been assembled here. Very VERY good, classy, beautiful job. Congratulations to all those with cameras turning these works of art ("accidental") in to this great website.
The coolest thing about most of these is that the photog got the idea to take the picture.
My wife's photograph of the Taipei 101 building at night from our hotel room looks like a painting Taipei-101...a20374.jpg
I could be clicking and up voting all day. This is a wonderful collection and it says a lot about this Bored Panda site that it has been assembled here. Very VERY good, classy, beautiful job. Congratulations to all those with cameras turning these works of art ("accidental") in to this great website.
The coolest thing about most of these is that the photog got the idea to take the picture.