The pictures that make you look twice: Intriguing 光学の illusions that were created with no camera trickery?

By Damien Gayle

Published: | Updated:


In th is remarkable photograph a woman appears to be giving a speech to an unseen audience - while levitating on a 魔法 carpet with its 影をつくる／尾行する cast on the beach below.

These clever photos, by 事故 or design, have become more than 会合，会うs the 注目する，もくろむ.

They 合併する 明らかに mundane elements into incredible juxtapositions which have a mind-bending hint of the fairytale about them.

Magic carpet ride: In this optical illusion the mat the talker is standing appears to be levitating in mid-air thanks to a perfectly placed shadow supplied, presumably, by a flag flying behind the photographer

魔法 carpet ride: In this 光学の illusion the mat the talker is standing appears to be levitating in 中央の-空気／公表する thanks to a perfectly placed 影をつくる／尾行する 供給（する）d, 推定では, by a 旗 飛行機で行くing behind the photographer

Don't you hate it when that happens? The jet of liquid apparently emerging from this woman's can of soft drink suggests that she's given it a shake before pulling the ring-pull, but it is really water from the fountain ahead

Don't you hate it when that happens? The jet of liquid 明らかに 現れるing from this woman's can of soft drink 示唆するs that she's given it a shake before pulling the （犯罪の）一味-pull, but it is really water from the fountain ahead

Playing with perspective: The 'smoke' from this man's cigarette is in fact a road winding up the hill in the distance
Tasted too much rainbow: The incredible juxtaposition of elements in this image makes it seem as though this festival-goer is projectile vomiting a rainbow

Orally fixated: In the left photo a road winding up a hill in the background appears as 厚い smoke from his cigarette. On the 権利, a carefully placed 支配する looks like he's feeling the 影響s of too many 幻覚的なs

Delicate as a flower: The dainty woman in this photo is rendered in an even more fairytale quality by this composition, which makes it seem as though she is wearing a tulip for a skirt

Delicate as a flower: The dainty woman in this photo is （判決などを）下すd in an even more fairytale 質 by this composition, which makes it seem as though she is wearing a tulip for a skirt

With cameras often believed to 反映する the real 明言する／公表する of things, to create a facsimile of the true 明言する／公表する of the world, when photographs show something wildly chimerical it delights the imagination.

Many of the incredible images in this 始める，決める play with our sense of 視野 by bringing 味方する by 味方する two elements that are, in fact, distant from each other in depth.

That illusion leads to such remarkable images as the festival-goer who appears to be 発射物 vomiting a rainbow, the ant that seems to be 直面するing off with a ヘリコプター at dusk, and the girl who looks as though she is wearing a tulip for a skirt.

Playing with perspective: The way this photograph has juxtaposed foreground and background elements makes it seem as though the trumpeter in the sculpture is blowing a big cloud into the sky

Playing with 視野: The way this photograph has juxtaposed foreground and background elements makes it seem as though the trumpeter in the sculpture is blowing a big cloud into the sky

Depth of field: A similar trick is at play in this remarkable photo, where the classical-style statue seems ready to squeeze this woman's head as she walks by oblivious

Depth of field: A 類似の trick is at play in this remarkable photo, where the classical-style statue seems ready to squeeze this woman's 長，率いる as she walks by oblivious

Not a good perch: This pigeon better watch out, it looks like he's running the risk of being flattened
The ant crawling around the rim of this plastic cup looks poised to take on the helicopter swooping in

More than 会合，会うs the 注目する，もくろむ: The pigeon in the left photo better watch out, it looks like he's about to be flattened. While on the 権利 this tiny ant shows Mother Nature is ready to 直面する up with the fiercest human 科学（工学）技術

Memoirs of a Commuting Geisha: This woman is so engrossed in her novel, it appears as though she has really got into the head of its protagonist

Memoirs of a 減刑する／通勤するing Geisha: This woman is so engrossed in her novel, it appears as though she has really got into the 長，率いる of its protagonist

So happy I could just float away... On this bride's wedding day it seems like she can't keep her feet on the ground

So happy I could just float away. .. On this bride's wedding day it seems like she can't keep her feet on the ground

Such images are possible to create for yourself, but they 要求する carefully 遂行する／発効させるd photographic techniques to 逮捕（する） the 要求するd depth of field to keep each element in 焦点（を合わせる）, にもかかわらず the differences in distance.

Smaller apertures, shorter 焦点の lengths and その上の 焦点（を合わせる）ing distances produce deeper depths of field, so to create an image where the background is as sharp as the foreground you will want to use a wide-angle レンズ 始める，決める to the highest F-stop number 利用できる, and stand 支援する a little from the 支配する.

This will 逮捕（する） the image with a hyperfocal distance, bringing all 反対するs into 焦点（を合わせる）. The finished image will be sharp from 前線 to 支援する.

If you have a pocket camera, setting it to landscape 方式 should work almost 同様に.

But when it comes to composition, only your imagination can point you in the 権利 direction.

Most watched News ビデオs

Comments 102

株 what you think

  見解（をとる） all

The comments below have not been 穏健なd.

  見解（をとる） all

The 見解（をとる）s 表明するd in the contents above are those of our 使用者s and do not やむを得ず 反映する the 見解（をとる）s of MailOnline.

We are no longer 受託するing comments on this article.