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A picture is worth a thousand words. But if that photo makes you do a double take and scratch your head, many of those words might be along the lines of, “What the heck am I looking at?”

If you’re a fan of photos with interesting perspectives and optical illusions, you’re in for a treat today, pandas. Below, you’ll find some of our favorite posts from the Confusing Perspective subreddit. You might have to squint your eyes and stare at these photos for a while to understand exactly what’s going on, but we hope you’ll at least be entertained! Enjoy scrolling through, and be sure to upvote the pics that you find most puzzling.

#1

I’d Get Scared Too

I’d Get Scared Too

Velwvve Report

Photography, like any other art form, welcomes a wide variety of interpretations. Some artists shoot exclusively on film, while others prefer digital. Some make no edits to their images once they’ve been shot, while some spend hours perfecting them. And some don’t intend to be photographers at all but accidentally create optical illusion masterpieces just by snapping a quick pic.

That’s where the Confusing Perspective subreddit comes in. Not all of the photos on this list were accidentally confusing, but they all create the same effect: making viewers question what in the world is going on. And clearly, these photos are quite popular, as the subreddit has amassed an impressive 2 million members since its inception.  

#4

Which Leg Is Going Where

Which Leg Is Going Where

endlesscosmichorror Report

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Kira Okah
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The two legs on the left of the picture are back legs, the two on the right are front legs. Still have my mate's picture showing how this dog works. dug-66acbc...63-png.jpg dug-66acbc7ab7c63-png.jpg

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Perspective is an important aspect to consider in photography. According to DepositPhotos, in the world of photography, perspective “refers to the visual connection between the elements in a photo.” This includes the angle the picture was taken from, the composition of the subjects in the image and where the viewer is seeing all of these elements from.

And lucky for you, if you’re a creative photographer, the sky’s the limit when it comes to what we can do with perspective in photos. But five common types that you’re likely familiar with are linear, high-angle, low-angle, forced perspective and fisheye.    

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Images taken with linear perspective are straightforward and use converging lines to “create an illusion of depth and distance” in a photo, DepositPhotos explains. Meanwhile, the high-angle perspective is pretty self-explanatory. It involves standing high above something and shooting down. For example, a photo taken from the top of a stairwell that shows all the way down to the floor. On the other hand, low-angle is the exact opposite. It might be taking a photo of the Eiffel Tower from standing directly below.   

#11

The Most Friendly Tree Ever

The Most Friendly Tree Ever

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Forced perspective is an interesting and often amusing way to create images that aren’t exactly as they appear to be. This is when photogs strategically place or align objects to make them appear larger or smaller than they are in real life. For example, you might be able to hold a mountain in the palm of your hand by standing far away from the mountain yet close to the camera. And finally, fisheye perspective is typically accomplished by using a lens that distorts images and makes them appear bent or stretched in the shape of a circle.  

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#15

Dog With Special Needs

Dog With Special Needs

Accomplished-Cricket Report

When it comes to the purpose of perspective in photography, Adobe notes on their site that it allows photographers the opportunity to challenge how others see the world and gives them the chance to view it through the photographer’s eyes.

“Perspective in photography is like what prose and poetry are in language,” photographer David Rose told Adobe. “You can read a sentence that’s technically correct and gets the point across, but it doesn’t really captivate you. You can take a serviceable picture of something, but if you can capture an interesting perspective of it, you can really draw the viewer in.”

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#17

Pirates Of The Kennel

Pirates Of The Kennel

Suddern_Cumforth Report

#18

This Reporter's Outfit

This Reporter's Outfit

Jean-LucBacardi Report

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Anne Roberts
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That dress pattern is supposed to make you look slimmer. Apparently it works

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If you’re interested in playing with the perspective in your own photos, Rose recommends first considering exactly what you want to include in the image and what kind of story you want to tell. Then, decide on a clear focal point, which will be exactly where you want viewers’ eyes to go. Next, play with your vantage point. Move the camera around, lie on the ground, climb to the top of a staircase, etc. Don’t be afraid to get creative!

#19

When You Stack The Chairs Juuuust Right

When You Stack The Chairs Juuuust Right

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#20

Where's The Head!!

Where's The Head!!

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At the end of the day, Rose says there’s no right or wrong way to create perspective in your photos, so the world is your oyster. Feel free to take a wide variety of photos, because you never know what will look best once you finally get to upload them to your computer. And if something stands out to you, you’ll know to keep experimenting with similar perspectives in the future!

#24

Have You Noticed I Have Tiny Arms?

Have You Noticed I Have Tiny Arms?

xume Report

We hope you’re enjoying these photos that you might find pretty confusing at first, pandas. Keep upvoting the ones that you find most amusing, and let us know in the comments if you’ve ever taken any pictures that turned out to be unintentional optical illusions. Then, if you’d like to find even more of these confusing perspective pics, you can check out another Bored Panda article featuring the same subreddit right here!

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#25

Woke Up To Drink Water And Saw This On The Window's Reflection (Thought It Was A Ghost, It's Just A Chair With My Jacket)

Woke Up To Drink Water And Saw This On The Window's Reflection (Thought It Was A Ghost, It's Just A Chair With My Jacket)

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#27

Not Gonna Lie, Got Confused For A Second There

Not Gonna Lie, Got Confused For A Second There

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#28

This Is One Picture

This Is One Picture

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DrBronxx
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The reason I'm confused by this picture is that I don't see anything to be confused about.

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#30

This Man Has Been Staring At Me, Motionless, For Almost 30 Minutes Now…

This Man Has Been Staring At Me, Motionless, For Almost 30 Minutes Now…

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Lost Penny
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Head down, glasses on top... So umm, is he asleep, dead, or disappointed with his life choices?

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#31

Mom, What’s Happened To The Cat?🐈

Mom, What’s Happened To The Cat?🐈

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#34

My Dog Ruby

My Dog Ruby

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xolitaire
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh nooo, careful with those treats/bones. A friend's dog got this stuck in their jaw

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#36

It's Ok, Nobody Was Injured

It's Ok, Nobody Was Injured

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#37

Arm Wrestling Champion Gets Married

Arm Wrestling Champion Gets Married

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Alex Boyd
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I can't quite figure out what's happening here. I see the other lady standing behind the bride, but the arm seems to be attached to both of them.

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#41

She Can Fly!

She Can Fly!

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Amity
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We already know cats can be liquid as well as solid. Might as well add gas to the mix.

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#44

My Dog And Cat Cuddling

My Dog And Cat Cuddling

ShamelessCat Report

#45

Which Building Is In The Foreground?

Which Building Is In The Foreground?

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Lexi
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The one on the left is closer, if you look at the lower levels you can see it's balcony overlaps the one from the sunlit building and using the size of that window you can see that the higher level floors have most of their window obscured by the balcony on the dark building.

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#46

Goblin Spying On Me During Plane Trip

Goblin Spying On Me During Plane Trip

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Julie S
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Doesn't matter how many times I see this picture I cannot see an ear with an earbud in

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#49

When You Hugged Someone So Hard

When You Hugged Someone So Hard

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Amity
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Explanation: The man with his back facing us is wearing pants that are split blue and white. We can't see the person in that back's pants so it looks like their legs are in the white pants.

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#50

I Am Still Confused

I Am Still Confused

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Note: this post originally had 108 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.