30 Photos That Provide A New Perspective On Famous Things, Places And Events (New Pics)
InterviewYou’ve likely seen hundreds of photos of the Mona Lisa or the Empire State Building in your lifetime. And while they’re both magnificent spectacles to behold in real life, it’s rare to see a refreshing take on them through photos. But if you’ve ever wondered what the inside of the Leaning Tower of Pisa looks like or what the cast and crew saw during the filming of Teletubbies, we’ve got the perfect list for you down below.
We’ve gathered some of our favorite images from the Alternate Angles subreddit, which shares unique takes on famous items, places and events. Enjoy viewing these things through a new lens, and be sure to upvote the photos featuring perspectives you had never previously considered!
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This Is What It Looks Like Standing Directly Under An Aurora
A Bugs Ground Level View Of The Backyard
The Alternate Angles subreddit is dedicated to providing new angles “of iconic events and places in history beyond the traditional well known photos and videos.” And clearly, the group has been quite successful in their mission, as the community has amassed an impressive 160k members over the last 4 years. Some common flairs used in the group are Meta, Movies and Landmarks, but there’s no shortage of what you can find in the sub. From a photo of the inside of a piano to behind the scenes pics from famous film sets, Alternate Angles has it all.
We’re big fans of Alternate Angles here at Bored Panda, so this isn’t the first time we’ve featured the subreddit. And lucky for us, we were previously able to get in touch with the community’s moderator team to hear more about how the group came to be. “The origins are really quite simple,” one mod told Bored Panda. “A comment in another subreddit of famous pictures suggested that someone should create a sub of different views of famous pictures, which led to the creation of r/AlternateAngles by u/Murkon and another Redditor who [has since] decided to step down.”
One Of The Easter Island Moai Statues That Was Carved But Never Erected. It Would Have Stood 72ft Tall (The Tallest Standing Is 33ft High) And Weighed More Than 2 Boeing 737's. This Also Shows How The Figures Were Carved
We reached out to u/Murkon again for this piece, and they were kind enough to provide some updates on how the community has been since they last spoke with Bored Panda. "Subreddit has continued to grow!" the mod shared. "We get a lot of great submissions."
We were also curious about this moderator's favorite posts that they've seen shared in the community. "My personal favorite was originally that one taken before the Beatles crossed Abbey Road... But I've seen it so many times now I look forward to new stuff." The mod also shared how shocked they were when they realized how small the Mona Lisa is from an Alternate Angles pic.
This First-Ever Picture Of Jupiter's South Pole
As far as what Alternate Angles pics u/Murkon would like to see next, they told Bored Panda, "I would personally like to see more famous landmarks. Those are always really interesting because the AA pic often shows background info left out of the pic you're used to."
Claude Monet In His Home Studio Painting One Of His Water Lily Paintings, 1920
Jenny Joseph Modeling For The Columbia Pictures Logo, 1992. She Had Never Modeled Before And Never Did Again
As far as the concept of r/AlternateAngles goes, the moderators say it can be summed up by a single rule: “Limit all submissions to alternate views, or unique perspectives, of well known locations, items, people, and events. An alternate angle of your kitchen does not qualify but Gordon Ramsay's kitchen does."
And while it can be difficult to determine what exactly “well known locations” means, the moderators have a pinned post in the subreddit that aims to clear up any questions members might have. “A relatively well known person, place, event or item is something most of our viewers will recognize or know of,” the mods explain. “By well known item we mean something like the Mona Lisa (although seriously I think we can all agree we've worn that one out), the statue of David, a famous mummy, the handgun of a well known general, J.K. Rowling's writing chair, or Betty Crocker's apron.” They also kindly request (with a smile) that members please stop sharing photos of the Mona Lisa.
The 2.300 Years Old Theater Of Epidaurus In Greece, Capable Of Holding 14.000 Spectators, Considered To Have Perfect Acoustics
Mt St Helen’s From Above. Woke Up To The Pilot Letting Us Know That It Would Be Worth Looking Out The Right Window
I always sit on the wrong side of the plane. Or bus, or whatever.
The Underside Of A Sawfish
When it comes to moderating this community, the team previously shared with Bored Panda that it can be tricky trying to weed out photos that have been edited or faked. So sometimes they have to rely on “the fantastic and active user base to help out with those."
And while it’s challenging for the mods to choose any of their favorite photos from the group, as they “could have spent hours culling through thousands and thousands of posts to pick out more,” they shared a few of their favorites with us. One of the Lincoln Memorial before the reflecting pool, behind the scenes of the recording of Leo the Lion (the iconic MGM mascot), an alternate angle of one of the biggest tragedies in US history, and a rare view of the back panel of the Mona Lisa.
The Surface Of A Kidney Stone Under Sem (Scanning Electron Microscope)
Devil's Tower In Wyoming
LOL...the Native American legend is that there were seven maidens at the top of the mountain, the ridges were made by bears trying to claw its way to them....
Load More Replies...It's a sacred place for the local indigenous people, who believe that a gigantic bear left its claw marks on the butte in order to catch a couple of fleeing girls, who rose to the sky and became the Seven Sisters (the Pleiades).
The solidified interior of an ancient volcano, after the exterior eroded away.
That is just mind boggling to think about how long ago that must have taken place!
Load More Replies...I saw Richard Dreyfuss at the local con last Friday and wanted to ask him about Close Encounters but after I was told the actors couldn't even talk about past work I was kinda disappointed.
My husband met him at a convention. All Dreyfuss said about Close Encounters ot3K and JAWS is that they weren’t “his” films they were Spielberg’s films. Kind of dismissed them, you know like he wasn’t very proud of them.
Load More Replies...This does no justice to the size!! But it is nice to see it from the top
I've always wondered: when people climb this, how do they get down?
There's a really cool twisty slide on the back side.
Load More Replies...We were there this spring! I wondered what the top looked like! They do allow climbers though.
It is an awesome sight. Can you imaging what it was like to see this on your way to Oregon in a wagon? Some of the wheel ruts of the Oregon Trail are still there and they are Deep.
Mato Tipila (Bear Rock) was it's name until Col. Richard Dodge named it Devil's Tower either due to poor translation confusing "bear" with "bad" (specifically 'bad god's tower') or Dodge did it deliberately because he was a supremacist, referring to Native Peoples as "mere animals". It's highly unlikely that the Indigenous population of this area would have called it 'bad god's tower' because there are no records that they considered this area with evil spirits. Just another example of the white man's Manifest Destiny policies.
This is the inside of a volcano with the outside missing... and solidified.
There are three of these in the same area, but only this one is stripper of the soft dirt.
Looks like a petrified tree trunk, all really large tree trunk that is.
Right. Somewhere I read that someone thinks this is evidence of that trees once grew amazingly tall!
I am sure that the moronic tourism is a problem. But to be able tbe somewhere in this pic? For real? Such a pic!
According to the National Park Service: Devils Tower - Richard Dodge. In 1875, he commanded the military escort for a scientific expedition into the Black Hills. Keeping a journal during this expedition, Dodge wrote that "the Indians call this place 'bad god's tower,' a name adopted with proper modification..." And so the label "Devil's Tower" was created.
Load More Replies...From that perspective it looks like a petrified stump of a gigantic tree.
Yes. I remember rhe mashed potatoes scene in close encounters of the third kind
Giraffe From Beneath
The last time we spoke with the Alternate Angles team, the moderators provided some insight into why the group continues to remain so popular over the years. “We are a unique subreddit that offers pictures that you don't normally see in other subs or the internet in general," they shared. “I think the fascination of, for example, the back frame of the Mona Lisa, is something most people never get to see.”
An Empty Boeing 787
"Now how many people can we STUFF inside this thing to maximize our already insanely bloated profits?"
Leonardo Da Vinci's The Last Supper
Hollywood Sign From The Sea
Yeah, I've never seen that view, so I checked it out on Google Earth. That's an extreme telephoto shot, which compresses the depth. It's about 40 miles from the Shoreline Yacht Group building in the front to the Mendenhall Ridge in the back. The ridge is about 4800 feet high. This link works in the Chrome browser: https://earth.google.com/web/search/hollywood+sig/@33.85355867,-118.39247517,12.30925785a,1980.51566715d,35y,19.15454981h,85.06575723t,359.99999999r/data=CnkaTxJJCiUweDgwYzJiZjBhNDU1MDVhN2Q6MHhhYmI3YWNjNjI2NzA5ODQzGSszAK8qEUFAIZzF5j6UlF3AKg5ob2xseXdvb2Qgc2lnbhgBIAEiJgokCbwdX8iLDUFAEXt8VHAbDEFAGaNueKlwlV3AITLzrRJCll3A
The mods also noted that they focus on keeping content in the group relevant to a wide variety of audiences. “We generally don't allow pictures of cats, dogs, food, and generic houses with some spin, but require famous artwork, people, monuments, or events—something everyone will recognize from all the famous photos that are published, but not from the perspective of the photo posted in our sub."
The Other Side Of The Moon Captured By Orion Spacecraft
Strings Of A Grand Piano
A Caryatid On The Acropolis Overlooking Athens--By Walter Hege
The Alternate Angles subreddit is also fun for a wide variety of people because anyone can participate. The moderators explained that most of the photos shared “aren't from professional photographers, but instead by Joe Average with an iPhone instead of the latest and greatest digital camera.” Creativity is more important than having the best equipment. “It's those alternate angles that aren't well published that give people a unique perspective of a location, event, or artwork that they had never been made aware of,” the mods shared.
Dancing On Pointe Shoes
Peacock Showing Off... From The Other Side
Looks Fake But It’s Not, Golf Course Next To The Pyramids Of Giza
Although the sub is certainly not in need of any more Mona Lisa photos, the mods used this famous painting as an example of why the group is so great. "Everyone can go on the internet and see a picture or travel to the Louvre Museum,” they explained. “It was at an odd time while they were fixing the location that a few people could see the back side for the first time. The same could be applied to taking a photo of the Statue of Liberty looking straight up or a photo of 9-11 from an amateur that hadn't been published before. I think people are fascinated by that.”
Passenger Photo While A Plane Flew Over Nearby East Palestine, Ohio After The Train Derailment
What? Is there an East Palestine in Ohio? And what train derailment? I am confused. What am I seing here?
Inside The Leaning Tower Of Pisa
Behind The Price Is Right Wheel
And as far as what does well in the group, one moderator told Bored Panda, "Personally, I feel the quality of the photo has little to do with the popularity but rather the uniqueness of the photo and perspective. The centering of the photo, the proper color gradient, and the perfect focus have little to do with popularity. I think also it is very subjective as to what users are interested in, however, the more unique the perspective plays a large part into how popular a post is."
The Golden Gate Bridge
Behind The Scenes Of Teletubbies
Found out recently that the actor inside tinky winky was a deeply depressed alcoholic. He died young. Poor guy. Definitely darkened the whole vibe for me
Under The Base Of An Emmy Award
Is this list inspiring you to start taking unique photos of famous monuments and places near you? Don’t be afraid to think outside the box the next time you’re behind the camera, and keep upvoting the pics on this list that surprise you! Let us know in the comments what you’d like to see some alternate angle photos of next, and then if you’re interested in checking out Bored Panda’s previous publication featuring the same subreddit, you can find it right here!
Climbing Mount Everest : The Queue At Khumbu Icefall
I'm a climber and I think this is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen. Really, what's the purpose of this?
The Back Of The Statue Of Liberty
In The Zoo
Honestly, this kind of 'mildly interesting' stuff (and the heartwarming stuff) is what we come to BP for. Not the divisive, stereotyping, biased stuff. Thanks.
yeah, I've gotten so tired of the constant "Karen" slurs here that I'm considering leaving the site. Not that they'd care lol but still
Load More Replies...Honestly, this kind of 'mildly interesting' stuff (and the heartwarming stuff) is what we come to BP for. Not the divisive, stereotyping, biased stuff. Thanks.
yeah, I've gotten so tired of the constant "Karen" slurs here that I'm considering leaving the site. Not that they'd care lol but still
Load More Replies...