You might not be the best photographer in the world, but sometimes everything in the universe aligns so precisely, all you have to do is press the shutter-release button in the right place at the right time. Every now and then, perfect timing can make or break a photo, turning it into a happy accident or a beautiful illusion, so Bored Panda has compiled a list of perfectly timed photos that proves you don't necessarily need expensive gear to take an incredible picture.
From a cool photo of a fabulous ostrich that appears to have the best hair in the world to a struggling substitute teacher sending subtle hints, these perfect timing photos will definitely make you look twice. But remember, it doesn't mean you don't have to work on improving your photography skills. To quote a popular saying, "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." Scroll down to please your eyes with some of the best perfectly timed pictures, and if this collection isn't enough, check out our similar lists full of interesting photos here and here.
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Firefighter In Peru
He must have been an Angel to many stuck in there.. So, pretty accurate.
When The Timing Is Right
Bumblebee Carrying The Sun
Right Place, Right Time
Pier Sunset
Was Taking Random Pictures Of My Mother And This Came Out
The Struggles Of A Substitute Teacher
When The Timing Is Right
This Guy's Earbuds Made A Treble Clef
Holy Sh*t
Snapped A Lucky Shot Of A Truck Trying To Steal The Sun
Dads Rock
Wow! Lucky boy. This I call good reflexes sir. Impressive catch.
Perfectly Timed Photo Of A Wave
Suspicious Hair
Fourteen Wind Turbines All In A Row
Perfect Timing
Maybe She's Barn With It
Lightning Strikes A Plane As It Flies Through A Rainbow
Seen At The Airport In Tel Aviv, Israel
The Moment A Trout Eats A Mayfly And The Second Before Water Tension Gives Way
Watching TV With My Feet Up When Suddenly
In The Right Moment
Perfect Timing
My Cat Has A Six Pack
Miss Ostrich
Took A Picture Of My Fire Pit Last Night And Caught Peter Pan And Tinkerbell
Perfect Timing: Level > Alien
Have Your Own Beer Towel
I Took A Photo Of My Brother. He Jump At The Right Moment And It Looks Like He Has To Go Because His Planet Needs Him
Chief Vitamin Water Surveys His Domain
I Caught A Pic Of Lightning Bouncing Off A Double Rainbow
When You Spend All Summer With Your T-Shirt Off
Dear God What Have I Done?!
What Would You Call This Beast?
Moment When It Looks Like Dilma Rousseff Is Getting Stabbed
The Sweet Escape
Perfectly Timed Shot
Very Unfortunate Time To Blink With White Mascara
Perfect Timing
Perfect Timing
Perfect Timing At Its Best
Amazingly, Perfect Shot Of My Friend Skydiving Into Burning Man
An Airplane Is Silhouetted Against The First Solar Eclipse Of The Decade, Seen Over Bangkok, Thailand, 2010
Dat A**
Long Jump In The Sand
Just The Right Moment
Look At That Body
Smile
Yoga In The Park Perfect Timing
Just A Pic That My Friend Took Down At The Beach The Other Day
Twin Tales
My Twin Boys Jumping And Landing At The Exact Same Time
Due To The Chair Leg And This Guy's Posture, It Looks Like He's Wearing High Heels
Best Photo I Have Ever Taken
Here's My Best Perfectly Timed Photo
This Is The Hilarious Moment A Curious Pufferfish Managed To Photobomb An Unsuspecting Diver
So I Turned Into A Toad Last Night
Couldn't Ask For Better Timing
Still Wondering Whether He Did This On Purpose Or Not
My Brother Took A Picture With His Iphone At The Exact Moment A Spark Ricocheted Off Of My Ear
Seafoam Splash Captured At A Thousandth Of A Second
What Do You Mean, What's Wrong With Her Feet?
Strange Dirt Formation On My Car Looks Like People Hanging
Perfect Moment
The Invisible Hockey Player
Oh, Good. Another "Holding Up The Leaning Tower Of Pisa" Pic
Two Rows Of Judges Ignore A Gymnast
Timing Is Key (But Luck Doesn’t Hurt Either)
Where We're Going, We Don't Need Boats
Perfect Timing
Watch Me Neigh Neigh
Perfectly Timed Picture
I Accidentally French-Kissed A Dog At Work Today
It's good for your immune system. That's why we kiss, to share antibodies.
The Wind Had Some Perfect Timing
Did You See That, What If Its Real?
New Schrödinger Experiment
My Mom Accidentally Caught Lightning When Trying To Take A Picture Of Palm Trees During A Storm
This Sun Giving A Shoulder Rub To This Navy Officer
Tried To Take A Picture Of The Sunset While Driving And A Bird Totally Ruined My Shot
This Dog Trying To Catch The Ball
Buddha Sunglasses
Perfect Timing And Reflex
The Timing Of This Photo Makes It Look Like The Policeman Is Dancing On The Crime Scene
4-Winged Goose
Sometimes You Get Lucky With Timing. Would Love It If You Could Draw This Snap Of Me In Sri Lanka.
This is taken straight from /r/redditgetsdrawn in case the caption didn't make sense
That Mysterious Triumphant Ghost Caught In A Broken Light Bulb
The Exact Moment Her Phone Was Lost Forever
Can You Do That?
The Moment My Son Knew The True Power Of The Force
Tony Stark's Dog Is A Player
Just The Right Moment
Perfectly Timed Pool Picture
Cow Jumping Over Herding Dogs
Picture Of My Daughter Crawling, Looks Like She Is Writing Profanity
Picture Taken Right When Another Camera's Flash Went Off
My Friend Captured The Moment The Wave Came For A Hug
Goalkeeper Cats
Perfect Timing And Classic Dad Reaction
Timing Is Everything
It looks like the affect you get when you use Panormic mode on iPhone and subject(s) move
Coming In For A Landing
My Wife Managed To Capture The Least Manly Shot Of Me Launching Fireworks
Snapped Pic Of My Nephew. Perfect Timing?
Well, it depends. If he's diving in the water, then the timing is perfect. If he actually can walk on water, then it was just a lazy shot :D
My Sister Passed Out At The Exact Moment The Judge Said "You May Kiss The Bride"
Perfectly Timed Photo Of A Cyclops Kitty
Eclipse On A Bird's Wing
Risk It For A Biscuit
Old Baby. My Son Just As He Plopped Down From Standing
My Friend Took This Picture Of Me Exactly When The Lightning Struck!
At An Air Show Today, I Accidentally Caught What Looks Like A Tiny Black Hawk Stealing A Child
Surprise Head
This Picture Was Taken At A Pet Orphanage In Texas
Just some cats coming down from the ceiling, what's so weird about that?
Time To Run
We Had A Crazy Storm Yesterday That Produced A Tornado, Softball Sized Hail, And Flash Flooding. My Friend Snapped A Picture Of The Aftermath
My Friend Posted A New Profile Pic With Her Boyfriend, And Everyone Took A Double Take
Went To A Petting Zoo. Friend Got Stepped On By A Pig. I Couldn't Have Planned These Pictures If I'd Tried!
Perfectly Timed Shot Of Godzilla
The Perfect Timing Of This Odometer And Trip Meter
“We’re Good Parents I Swear”
A Picture Of My Wife And Daughter Taken At Precisely The Right Moment
I Caught A Plane Passing In Front Of Tonight's Super Moon
Fauxhawk
Handle Bar Mustache
Wheel Waits For The Right Moment To Make A Dash For Freedom
Perfect Timing In Aerial Acrobatics
Perfect Timing
Perfectly Timed Photo Of My Niece
Oh So Majestic
caliing Renske's bluff. perfect shadows allude to actual photo. derp's on you hon. nice shot!
The Moment My Older Brother Fell Into The Lake. Taken By My Sister-In-Law
Took A Picture Of A Stealth Bomber Flyover, Was Not Disappointed With The Timing
On Vacation In California With My Best Friend And Took A Picture With Perfect Timing
I Think They Call This "Perfect Timing"
The Waterbending Skills Are Strong With This One
Perfect Timing
Perfect Timing
Perfectly Timed Photo
One, Two, Thr-
I Took My Daughter Sleeding For The First Time. This Is Her Trying To Avoid The Ramp
Keep A Close Eye On The Puck
Timing!
Perfect Timing
Reverse Cowgirl
Thought This Was Perfectly Timed
Perfectly Timed Photo Of A Dog Yawning
I Shot A Kid At The Zoo, Perfect Timing
Sun Caught The Blade At Just The Right Time
Took This Picture At The Perfect Time
Perfect Timing Of Light On The Hotel Name
Perfectly Timed Cat
Oops
Perfectly Timed Selfie
I imagine the guy spending the whole match sitting backwards hoping for that shot.
My Friend Caught The Exact Moment The Dog Ran Into Her Daughter And Pushed Her In The Pool
I'ma Kill You
A Couple Of Years Ago, My Friend/ Coworker Set Her Hair On Fire While Blowing Out The Candles On Her Birthday Cake. This Was Taken The Split Second Before Anybody Realized
Ever Wanted To Know How You'll Look At 80? Just Take A Perfectly Timed Photo Bailing From A Skateboard And Landing On Your Feet
A Bee Flew In Front Of My Camera At The Perfect Time
if we don't take care of them, this may bee the only thing left to remind us!
My Friends Local Paper Caught Him Dodging A Puddle
My Friend Captured The Shockwave From The Starter Pistol At His Sister's Track Meet
Jack Is Pissed About Being The Nyan Cat
The Lightning Struck The Moment My Friend Took A Photo
Caught Red Handed
Governor Of Michigan, Rick Snyder, Getting Kicked In The Face
She Slipped Trying To Pop The Soap Bubbles
Caught A Lady Through The Train Gap While Taking A Selfie
I Waited Patiently For Several Minutes For Just The Right Moment To Take The Third Photo... My Wife Wasn't Amused!
I thought everyone was amused by a curiously snaky rabbit pene in the a*s.
Ended Up Taking A Photo At Exactly The Right Moment Yesterday
My Hammock Broke
I Framed This Gorgeous Photo Of Teddy As The Sun Was Rising... At The Last Minute, Joey Decided To Photo Bomb
Perfect Timing
The Exact Moment My Buddy Was Bit By A Horse
None Of The Gear, None Of The Time
Man Has No Head Due To Timing Of My Photo
Taking Too Long To Take A Photo Of Her Food On The Beach
This One Got A Little Greedy
Nigel Farage Looks Like Hitler In This Photo
Perfectly Timed
Perfectly Timed Photo During A Mls Match
The Timing Makes My Dog Look Like A Space Man
Perfect Timing
This is one of the very few shown that actually fits the "mess with your head" part.
Accidentally Captured A Seagull Stealing My Food
Perfect Timing! Meet Benny (The Jet) And Bowzer (My Favorite Ginger)
Friend Snapped A Picture Of The Police The Instant They Were Spraying Him With Mace
Perfect Timing In Whistler, Canada
Jesus, Is That You?
It would sooner be Apostol Peter, trying to walk on water, taking the leap of faith ...
A Friend Took A Picture Of Me At A Crossfit Competition
Emu Eating. Perfect Timing
Jenga
not really messing with my head but the oversized Jenga is pretty rad
Accidental Renaissance
It's Raining
One Move And I'll Blow Your Damn Head Off
Oops
Falling Asleep At The Wheel
Perfect Timing Picture. He Was Fine Though!
Me Falling Into A Lake In Croatia
Muay Thai
One Of My Favorite Pictures. Took Me At Least A Hour Of Shooting To Get The Right Timing
Girl Gets Bit By Squirrel
I Almost Died Today, And My Mom Got A Perfectly Timed Picture Of My Dad Saving Me
My Son Batting A Ball Back Into My Daughters Face
First Time Shooting A.44 Magnum. My Girlfriend Was Taking A Picture Behind Me And Timed It Perfectly
Accidentally Snapped This Of My Sister Trying To Put Her Sunglasses On Today, Thought You All Might Appreciate It
Spot The Ball
Friend Sent Me This Photo Of A Basketball Game Timed Perfectly
That must have been one helluva tension-filled minute window in which he had to get the shot.
My Friend With Horrible Technique
I find this very unsettling coming from Scotland. No gun culture here. No wonder so many Americans get killed with their own weapons, it's just tragic.
This Optical Illusion
Dear Bored Panda, You are really overdoing it with adverts. You're making your site one that is worth avoiding. Screenshot...83154d.jpg
Totally agree with you. In fact, I think they should make a special contest about that kind of perfect timing photos.
Load More Replies...Why is that woman next to the Governor of Michigan dressed as Woody from Toy Story? (# 174)
Most of your posts are hilarious 🤣🤣. But almost none of them mess with our f🤬🤬🤬🤬ing mind!! You should probably change the title of this page.
Not really “Perfectly Timed Photos” when you can have a screen shot of a video tho!!!
I have a perfect timing pic but have no idea how to get it on these lists???
Dear Bored Panda, You are really overdoing it with adverts. You're making your site one that is worth avoiding. Screenshot...83154d.jpg
Totally agree with you. In fact, I think they should make a special contest about that kind of perfect timing photos.
Load More Replies...Why is that woman next to the Governor of Michigan dressed as Woody from Toy Story? (# 174)
Most of your posts are hilarious 🤣🤣. But almost none of them mess with our f🤬🤬🤬🤬ing mind!! You should probably change the title of this page.
Not really “Perfectly Timed Photos” when you can have a screen shot of a video tho!!!
I have a perfect timing pic but have no idea how to get it on these lists???