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I spy, with my little eye, something in the sky! Something blue! Something fuzzy! Something sharp! Something you can eat! Something that wouldn’t be allowed on an airplane! And something that I would love to get as a birthday present!

When you were a kid, did you fill long car rides and flights on planes with the classic game of I Spy? It’s been at least a  decade since I’ve played it, but I still remember the thrill of feeling like I could read someone else’s mind and knowing exactly what they were spying on my first guess. Although this game has likely phased out of your regular routine as you’ve gotten older, there’s no need to miss out on the fun of frantically searching for a hidden object.

Allow us to introduce you to the “Find the Sniper” subreddit. Visiting this group is like scrolling through an endless game of I Spy with photos that just might make you feel like you’re going crazy. Down below, we’ve gathered some of their best posts, and I’ll warn you right now, it may take a few minutes (or zooming in, turning up your screen's brightness, and browsing through the comments) to find some of the hidden elements. From animals to puzzle pieces to bugs disguised as foliage, we hope you enjoy finding what’s hidden in plain sight. (Just be careful not to give yourself a headache!)

Keep reading to also find an interview with attention to detail expert, Chris Denny, and be sure to upvote the pics that would put Where’s Waldo? to shame. Then, if you’re interested in checking out even more photos from Bored Panda that might make you do a double take, you can find a list of “when you see it” pics right here!

The Find the Sniper subreddit was created in 2014 and has been hiding in plain sight on Reddit ever since. That’s right, the group has a whopping 86.8k members, but if you’ve never heard of it, you’ve likely been overlooking it the same way we miss the details hidden in these photos. There is something equally frustrating and satisfying about these pictures featuring hidden elements that are way too easy to miss, and clearly, many people love challenging their brains by hopping onto this subreddit regularly.

I can’t help but feel like the pictures featured here are versions of Where’s Waldo? or the classic I Spy books on steroids. I used to love those brightly colored images splashed across large pages of books when I was a kid, and knowing that I had located Waldo or the perfect object always made me feel so brilliant. But the beauty of Find the Sniper is that many of these pictures were not carefully orchestrated or planned. Many of them were accidents, perfectly timed snaps, or only photographed after the person observed how challenging an object was to spot in real life. 

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#2

Find The Threatened Burrowing Owl

Find The Threatened Burrowing Owl

Firefly1307 Report

Find the Sniper may have only been around for less than a decade, but the fun of searching for objects in images is nothing new. If you’re a fan of the I Spy books, you might be interested to know that the images featured in them are even more calculated than you might have expected. The photographer behind those vibrant and captivating images, Walter Wick, was interviewed by Insider in 2019 and explained his process for creating the photos. They were all made using real objects, rather than drawings or editing on a computer.

Before venturing into the world of I Spy, Wick had been working as a commercial photographer in New York City. One evening in the early 1980s, he took a photo of spare nuts and bolts that had been laying around his studio and used the image to promote his work. The author of I Spy, Jean Marzollo, ended up seeing the picture and asked Wick to create a photo for her magazine, Let’s Find Out. An editor at Scholastic Books saw that photo and reached out to Wick and Marzollo about creating a children’s search and find book, which soon became the beloved classic we know today.       

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#4

Find The Pug

Find The Pug

ButNevertheless Report

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Sasy
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Got it, but it took a few seconds :) well played pug well played

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#5

Find The Birb

Find The Birb

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#6

Find The Lizard

Find The Lizard

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Katie Fink
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Omg!!! So cute!!! Found it by its black eye first. Then found the rest

Cassi Lyris
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

He's so tiny. Sometimes I spot these guys outside. 😍

RajunCajun
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

what is this Lizard? I find them all over my house and I was told they are not native to Maryland.

Bubbles and sparks
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Lol, there are differences in the English language that keep fooling me 😂 Here in Spain we call them gecko's. Where we live, we actually have a number of them inside out house and they take care of other bugs like moths, mosquitos and flies, very useful 😁 When it's hatching time we find babies that are as tiny as the nail of a pink, but fast as lightning .

Kellie
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The tail looks like a small string of tan beads leading to the black eyed body

Jenna Stough
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

At the very top corner of the hair brush bristles on the counter

VodkaInMySweetTea
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I saw its shadow first. (After almost giving up.) Then its tail. This one is really tricky!

Jan Dunn
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Found him but the close up on that hair brush was making me nauseous.

Cara G
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have a hairbrush cleaning compulsion. Even if it isn't mine. Someone left their soft bristle brush on the bathroom counter that hasn't been cleaned in 6 months? Let me take care of that for you. I can't stand the sight of them!

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Creating one intricate images used in an I Spy book or a detailed drawing found in Where’s Waldo? could take weeks to accomplish, but if you develop a keen eye in your own life, you might be able to shoot pictures worthy of being shared on Find the Sniper every day. Do you have a rug or a bedspread with an elaborate pattern? Is your cat constantly hiding in furniture or objects around the house then just slightly peeking its tiny head out to give you a heart attack? Are you constantly tiptoeing around your child’s bedroom because hidden legos are appearing out of nowhere and attacking the bottom of your feet? If you keep an eye out, I’m sure you encounter plenty of “hidden in plain sight” occurrences on a daily basis!   

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#8

The Camouflage Of This Leopard

The Camouflage Of This Leopard

PaperNeutrino Report

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#9

Easy To Find But At A Glance Near Impossible

Easy To Find But At A Glance Near Impossible

SkyeSpyder Report

If you love torturing yourself, this is the perfect list for you, pandas! Just kidding, these photos aren’t intended to cause you pain and suffering, but they are likely to make your brain work hard. Which can actually be a great thing! Staring at these photos and trying desperately to figure out what the heck is going on in them is like working a brain teaser, and if you want to keep your mind sharp, that’s a great way to do it. Regularly exercising our brains, through completing tasks like brain teasers, boosts our brains’ activity, reduces our risk of dementia, and improves our concentration and memory. And there are plenty of fun ways out there to do that, such as utilizing Smithsonian Magazine’s Daily Hidden Object, or spending 15 minutes scrolling through Find the Sniper.   

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#11

The Way My Chameleon Hides On My Military Backpack

The Way My Chameleon Hides On My Military Backpack

Realhumanbeing3 Report

If you’re having a particularly hard time with the images on this list, don’t worry, I certainly am too. But one thing that might make it a bit easier to spot these hidden surprises is by improving your attention to detail. To gain more insight on this topic, we reached out to attention to detail expert, Chris Denny. Chris is a researcher, trainer, author, consultant, and owner of Attention to Detail Solutions, so we wanted to hear from him why this is a valuable skill.

"Attention to detail is important for just about every work role and even for many areas of personal life from relationships to style to putting furniture together properly," Chris told Bored Panda. "Employees with stronger attention to detail tend to be the best employees because they make fewer mistakes, deliver higher quality work, and require less management oversight. In short, they get more done and it's done better (at work and in personal life). In our surveys, something like 92% of executives agree that people who are more detail-oriented will be more successful at work. Attention to detail is often the difference between amazing and just 'okay'."

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#13

Find The Second Hyena

Find The Second Hyena

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When it comes to how we can improve our attention to detail, Chris first explained that there are five fundamentals of attention to detail: Focus, Interest, Knowledge, Systems, and Attitude (sometimes referred to as Clarity). "Each of those elements has several important elements within, and they are not mutually exclusive," Chris notes. "You can work through the Five Fundamentals systemically to identify the areas you need to work on — to reduce weaknesses and improve upon your strengths — and address each with specific exercises and focused effort."

Chris also provided some of his top tips for exercising our attention to detail muscles. "Be mindful. One of my favorite components of Focus is mindfulness, which is about being aware in the moment of where your attention or effort is being directed right now at any given moment," he explained. "If you're working on a complex task, it's important to be aware enough in the moment to recognize that your mind has wandered and that you aren't fully engaged in the task any more."

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#17

Top Bunk Of Some Guys Daughter’ Bed. One Of These Things Is Not Like The Other

Top Bunk Of Some Guys Daughter’ Bed. One Of These Things Is Not Like The Other

cgott84 Report

#18

🔥 Sneaky Giraffe

🔥 Sneaky Giraffe

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Alexia
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Move along, there's nothing here, just a spotted tree with some legs and eyes

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Chris also says it's important to know the "why" of what you are doing. "An element of Interest is understanding the value and importance of what you're working on," he explains. "It's amazing how often people don't fully understand why they are performing a task and, even worse, why it matters if the task is performed properly. If you don't understand the value of the task at hand, find out. Ask! Look it up or figure it out. The worst thing you or an employee can be thinking is, 'What's the point of this?' If you're working on a personal project or event, take a moment to consider the impact of that on others. How awesome will someone feel if you put in a little extra attention and effort to making their gift or a special dinner amazing instead of just 'nice'?"

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Next, Chris notes that it's important to use systems: reminders, checklists, software, processes, tools, etc. to "offset your weaknesses in other areas". "For example, if your mind wanders often, use a timer that dings every five minutes to remind you to stay on task. Or, use a prioritized checklist to help ensure you're working on the right things throughout your day or project."

"Oh, and drink plenty of water, and get enough sleep," he added.

#19

She’s Gonna Get Burnt

She’s Gonna Get Burnt

OreoN420 Report

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2x4b523p
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This photo had been around for ages and seems photoshopped to me. Even her bikini and wristband are transparent.

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#20

Something Hidden In The Rocks

Something Hidden In The Rocks

brockleeham Report

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Chris also shared some of the benefits we can experience from developing a greater attention to detail. "The primary benefit is better outcomes," he told Bored Panda. "You can pick what the 'better outcome' is for the situation at hand. That could be a better birthday party you planned, correctly completing all the fields in a form, creating excellent quarterly reports, coming up with a better sales strategy, better product innovations, getting a raise, or maybe just getting to keep your job for now (and getting the raise later)." 

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"There's an old saying that goes, 'There are two ways to do things — right or again'," Chris shared. "When you get more things right, you waste less time. You get to move on to the next thing instead of re-doing the last. Next, people with greater attention to detail not only complete tasks and/or projects more correctly and accurately, but they tend to do them better. This is especially relevant for projects where more creativity and/or qualitative features/aspects can be added. They tend to have thoughts such as, 'It looks good like this, but if I also did this is would be outstanding'."

#23

Find The Husky

Find The Husky

1Hunterk Report

"There are actually three types of attention to detail: Contrastive, Analytical, and Additive," Chris added. "Contrastive is about identifying and processing elements that have only one solution. It's either right or wrong. Analytical attention to detail is about finding solutions by identifying as many of the contrastive elements as possible and processing them to identify a great solution, and there are likely multiple possible 'great' solutions. It's up to you to figure out the best. Additive attention to detail is the most complicated and is about innovation. There are possibly countless great solutions."

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"Whichever type of challenge you are working on, you should be moving toward contrastive," Chris told Bored Panda. "Regardless of how complex the challenge, you should be breaking it down into its contrastive elements. Doing so ensure you are identifying more possibilities, removing the need for expert knowledge (and widening the opportunity for more people to help), and enabling systemization."

"People tend to use phrases such as 'pay more attention to detail' or 'you need to be more detail-oriented' for all three types of situations," Chris says. "But, if you think about the situation or task at hand and label it as one of the types of attention to detail (contrastive, analytical, or additive), the demand/instruction/guidance gets much more specific and useable — and solutions begin to present themselves."

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If you'd like to learn even more from Chris Denny, the attention to detail expert, be sure to visit his company's website right here!

#28

A Little Unconventional But I Think It Still Belongs Here

A Little Unconventional But I Think It Still Belongs Here

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Fantastic Mr Fox
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I like this one. I saw something black that seemed out of place. What is it? A spider? A roller skate? Took several seconds and then suddenly...oooh :)

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We hope this list hasn’t given you too much of a headache, but remember that using your brain is good for it! (And if you really can’t figure any of them out, look to the comments!) Keep upvoting the pictures that have you stumped, and let us know in the comments if you’ve ever taken a photo that had a surprising hidden element. And if you’re looking for even more pics that will make you do a double take after you’ve finished this list, you can find another article featuring “when you see it” pictures right here

#30

Find The Car

Find The Car

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#31

Snow Leopard Stalking A Herd Of Bharal

Snow Leopard Stalking A Herd Of Bharal

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#33

Find The Fish 🐠 🐟🐡

Find The Fish 🐠 🐟🐡

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#35

There's A Mountain Lion Stalking An Elk

There's A Mountain Lion Stalking An Elk

Emeraldcarr Report

#36

Find The Second Cat. Yes There Are Two Cats

Find The Second Cat. Yes There Are Two Cats

nefees Report

#37

My Boss Sent This To Me Today. Find The Cat

My Boss Sent This To Me Today. Find The Cat

esoralegna Report

#38

Find The Numbers

Find The Numbers

Jeepster412 Report

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NY Redneck
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Somewhere there's a Door Dash driver looking at this post and having an anxiety attack.

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#40

Thought My Frog Escaped For A Good 20 Minutes This Morning. Not Too Difficult

Thought My Frog Escaped For A Good 20 Minutes This Morning. Not Too Difficult

frogmomma Report

Note: this post originally had 82 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.