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We all know that optical illusions play mind tricks by often using very bright colors and mismatching shapes to confuse our brains which are not always capable of dealing with such a loud and unexpected picture. And there's absolutely nothing wrong to be deceived by such eye tricks once in a while, in fact, if you like looking at the optical illusion pictures, chances are that you have better visual problem-solving skills.
However, there are the classical illusion pictures, and then there are shadows. Have you ever thought what happens when a shadow gets tired of following around the same people and objects all the time and goes rogue? It turns out that shadows can produce some incredible optical illusions, and turn up in the most unexpected places and forms. And what's even more curious, that the shadow, depending on the Sun's position in our skies, might create the optical illusion just for minutes or sometimes seconds. In other words, to catch a shadow creating an illusion is quite a chance of luck.
We here at Bored Panda have compiled a list of all the times that shadows refused to do as they were told, and took on a life of their own. Scroll down below to check the mirages caught in the form of shadow pictures for yourself!
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#1
Tree's Shadow
RELATED:
#2
Playground Shadows
Dian Ella Lillie 7 years ago
The scientist in me says "the sun is at an altitude of approximately 45°." The æsthete in me says "purdy..." :-)
#3
Mt. Rainier Shadow From My Backyard
#4
This Trucks Shadow Says "Hi"
#5
The Sun Melted The Snow Everywhere Except Where The Bikes' Shadows Were
#6
Not Everybody Is What They Seem
Zenozenobee 7 years ago
"Everybody wants to be a rat, because a rat's the only rat who knows where it's at."
#7
Shadows Of Leaves From A Tree During A Solar Eclipse
Dian Ella Lillie 7 years ago
Oh, the tree's behaviing like a camera obscura! I'd wet myself if I saw this in real life!!
#8
This Spiders Reflection In A Pool
Zenozenobee 7 years ago
I love far better the reflexion than the real model.... And I changed my mind about go swiming finally.
#9
Cheerful Shadow
#10
Found The Eye Of Sauron While Wine Tasting
#11
The Shadow Of My Plane Formed A Rainbow Around It
#12
The Reflection Of Kitchen Appliances Looks Like People In A Park
#13
Shadow Gives Impression Of Infinite Staircase
#14
This Cat Food Bag's Shadow Looks Like A Cat
Symbole Simple 7 years ago
Had it been a dog food bag, the shadow would have looked like a dog. Duh!
#15
Even The Shadows In Scotland Are Plaid
#16
Who Never Thought About This?
#17
Why Hello, Little Sundog
#18
Sitting On The Couch With A Headache And An Ice Pack On My Head When My Girlfriend Tells Me Not To Move
Zenozenobee 7 years ago
Oops, not the most flattering. resemblance. I hope the headache is gone ;)
Wil Vanderheijden 7 years ago
So the Great Orange Turd sat on your couch? You know you'll have to burn it and desinfect the house.
Dr. Cheri Hayes 7 years ago
Good lord, people...this photo has the most comments of all the photos on 20 pages! Move along already.
#19
Proposed To My Girlfriend And Realized There Is A Heart In Our Shadows
#20
The Shadow Of This Juice Glass Looks Like A Rose
#21
This Einstein Poster Casts A Sinister Shadow
#22
My Friend's Golf Team Photo Had Some Unfortunate Shadows
#23
These Fishnet Stockings Made From The Table’s Shadow
Zenozenobee 7 years ago
After Nike's bum bag sandals, fishnet stockings with flip flop is the next year trend
#24
When Your Life Is A Mess But You Can Still Keep Up Appearances
#25
I'm Sure This Shadow Became Self-Aware
#26
Untangled Wire, Looped Shadow
Symbole Simple 7 years ago
It's fustrating enough to untangle a cord, how do you go and untagle a cord's shadow !!?
#27
The Shadow On His Shirt Makes It Look Like The Guy In The Back Is Badly Photoshopped Into The Picture
#28
Cool Sticker Shadow Effect I Saw This Morning
#29
My Shoe Lace Shadow Looks Like A Man Climbing A Mountain
#30
The Shadow From This Glass Bowl Is Beautiful
#31
The Shadow Of Two Mailboxes Makes A Perfect Up Arrow
#32
Face Shadow
#33
This Shadow Of A Plant Looks Like A Decal On The Vehicle
#34
Apparently Eclipses Produce Insane Looking Shadows
#35
The Kids Made A Cat Face With Their Shadows
#36
That Awkward Moment When The Shadow Of Thor's Hammer Makes It Look Like Stan Lee Peed His Pants
#37
Am I High Or Is This Shadow Evolving
#38
Cow Shadows
#39
The Shadow Cast By My Engagement Ring Looks Like Batman
#40
My Clothes Steamer Casts A Shadow That Looks Like A Witch
#41
Batman In Disguise
#42
My Friend Took A Picture Of Me. My Shadow Has Horses Legs
#43
Shadows
#44
I Just Noticed The Halloween Mask I Got For 1dol Leaves A Creepy Shadow
#45
My Bathroom Has Six Bulbs Above The Mirror, This Is My Shadow On The Opposite Wall
#46
The Shadows Of My Blinds And My Outdoor Table Created The American Flag
#47
My Dog's Shadow Looks Like Yoda
#48
The Shadows Of These Soap Bubbles Are Very Colorful
#49
The Angle Of The Sun Removes The Italics On The Shadow
#50
My Friend Noticed The Shadow Of My Hair Formed A Near Perfect 55
#51
Just A Picture Of Me And Benjamin Franklin Hanging Out
#52
The Shadow Created From A Bathroom Stall, Someone Saw An Opportunity
#53
Friend Of Mine Caught Everest's Shadow On The Way Down From His 3rd Summit
#54
Windows On The Entrance Of My Apartment Creating A Smiley Face In Sunlight
#55
His Shadow Looks Like Beavis
#56
The Way This Tombstone Designed Makes A Shadow Of A Man Appear
Wil Vanderheijden 7 years ago
It's just a shadow of a ghost. As you would expect on a graveyard.
#57
Phone Cord Shadow Looks Like DNA
#58
The Shadow Of This Closed Flower Looks Like An Open Flower
#59
My Glasses Are Only Corrective In The Right Lens, This Was The Shadow Produced
#60
He Comes Out Of Hibernation Twice A Year, When The Sun Sets In The Southern Blue Ridge
#61
The Pattern Formed By These Tables And Their Shadows
#62
The Lighting On This Toilet Makes Me Feel Like I'm Peeing On The Smiling Wide Open Mouth Of My Own Shadow
#63
The Way This Tree Lines Up With Another Tree's Shadow
#64
Marching Elephants
#65
My Day Time Stockings
#66
This Shadow From A Condom Machine
#67
Sign Outside Domino's Creates A Slice Shaped Shadow
#68
My Hotel Room Number Is Created By A Shadow
Zenozenobee 7 years ago
This is not a surprise but the purpose of these numbers... yet I find it very class
#69
My Boyfriend And His Dog’s Shadows Lined Up And Formed A Centaur In This Picture
#70
Unmelted Snow In The Shadows
Ryo Bakura 7 years ago
The grass has veins, ergo the Earth is alive. Please stop harming the Earth.
#71
The Way The Sunlight Hits The Frieze Below This Roof
#72
Having RGB Lights Makes My Room White And Makes The Edges Of Shadows Colourful
#73
The Shadow Of The Waiter Putting Down A Plate Looks Like He’s Going To Murder Me
#75
Our Fire Escape Casts A Pretty Shadow
#76
The Way The Shadow Moves
#77
The Shadow Cast By This Candle/Glass
#78
This Shadow Cast Looks Like A Man Going For A Dive
#79
This Shadow Fits Perfectly Into The Path
#80
Shadows Of Chicago Over Frozen Lake Michigan, USA
#81
The Swing Arm Position Of My Lamp Is Casting A Grayscale Shadow
#82
The Light And Shadow In My Office Spells Out 'Oil'
#83
The Shadow From The Power Lines Makes This Baby Look Like He's Angry And Wearing Warpaint
#84
These Two Hair Ties Diffracted Into Six Shadows
#85
Spatula With Holes In It Casts A Reverse Shadow
#86
This Kid's Shadow Looks Like Mr. Krabs
#87
I Set My Glasses On The Table, And The Multiple Shadows Transformed Them Into A Spider
#88
At First Glance, My Ruler's Shadow Makes It Look Like The Ruler Is Curvy
#90
My Workplace Has Lights Set In A Grid Of Squares, So The Shadows Casted By Rectangular Tables Look Pixelated
#91
Thought It Was An Awesome Paintjob... Was Disappointed When I Noticed It Was Only A Shadow
#92
My Girlfriend's Shadow Is Reminiscent Of Darth Vader
#93
The Reflection Of The Car Mirror Makes It Look Like My Friend Is Missing A Brick
#94
My Shadow Looks Like Trump Is Lurking Behind Me
#95
Freddy Krueger's Shadow Appeared In Our Jack-O'-Lantern
#96
The Shadow Of My Gorillapod Created A Vicious Mouse
#97
Cloud Forms A Shadow On The Sky
#98
My Fence's Shadow Doesn't Let The Snow Melt, Making My Garden Half Green, Half White
#99
Was Walking Through Work When I Saw This Shadow On The Ground. Good Evening
#100
So As I Was Parking My Car At 12:30am I Saw This Creepy Looking Shadow (I Know It Isn't Paranormal, It Is Just A Random Combination Of Shadows) But It Scared The S**t Out Of Me
#102
The Shadow Fell Mildly Interestingly Over The Names On This Gravestone
#103
Perfect Lighting. Favorite Shadow I've Seen In A While
#104
The Telephone Pole's Shadow Makes A Cross On The Church Across The Street
Wil Vanderheijden 7 years ago
If god wants this church to have a cross he has to paint it himself. And so he did.
#105
This Trash Can Has An Angry Shadow
#106
The Shadow Of The Cord Lined Up Perfecty To Look Like The Microphones Cord
#107
Black Cat's Shadow Profile On A Pumpkin
#109
My Beer Glass' Shadow Looks Like Jack Skellington
#110
My Phone Cords Shadow Makes Perfect Hearts
#111
The Shadow From The Fence (Almost) Perfectly Lines Up With The Sidewalk
#112
My Cousin's Iron Man Mask Giving Homage To Overly Happy Batman
#113
This Wiggly Shadow Of A Perfectly Straight Ladder
#114
This Light Pole Shadow Looks Like A USB Logo
#115
When You Play On Full Settings But You Leave The Shadows On Minimum
#116
This Bike Rack's Shadow
#117
Did I Stop Time? Note His Hand On The Frisbee And The Shadow...
#118
My Brother's Shadow Looks Like Abraham Lincoln
#119
This Shadow Looks Like The Babadook
#120
This Hotel In Santorini Has Its Name Spelled Out In Shadows
#121
Made It To The Lighthouse At Byron Bay And The Most Easterly Point In Australia. Maybe Fishnet Stockings Should Be A New Running Trend
#122
I Was In My Sister's Room Talking To Her When She Told Me Not To Move And Then She Snapped This Picture. I Have No Idea How This Happened
#123
Mt. Hood Casting A Shadow On The Clouds This Morning
#124
Sunlight Cast A Shadow Of The Glass's Logo Onto My Beer
#125
My Dog's Shadow Makes An Almost Perfect Arrow
#126
The Shadow Of These Eyeglasses Looks Like A Different Style Of Eyeglasses
#127
The Shadow Of This Tree Looks Like It Was Poorly Rendered
#128
Shadow Of My Lamp Looks Like Monsters Inc. Logo
#129
My Shopping Bag’s Shadow Made A Man Wearing A Nightcap
#130
My Shadow Wielding A Spear Of Light
#131
The Hats On This Hatrack Cast A Shadow In The Shape Of A Face
#132
Tree Leaf Shadows Just After The Total Eclipse
Tracy Wolfe 7 years ago
Cool. Seriously though, why do cars at a dealership not come this way?
#133
This Sign Says "Fresh Baked Rolls" But Its Shadow Says "Fresh B Rolls"
#134
The Shadow Cast By This Rock Fireplace Looks Like An Evolution Chain From Ape To Human
Zenozenobee 7 years ago
It makes me think of the children faces carved on the mentel in The Haunting movie ....
#135
I Thought I Was Taking A Creative Picture Of My Son And I. What I Got Was The Shadow Of A Balrog
#136
My Leg Shadow Looks Like Alfred Hitchcock
#137
The Gold Designs On This Mug Being Reflected Onto Shadows
#138
The Way A 4 Leaf Clover Made A Heart Shadow
#139
The Eclipse Is Leaving Very Weird Shadows On My Deck!
#140
This Shadow Looks Like An Eye
#141
The Shadow Of This Wind Chime Looks Like The Starship Enterprise
#142
My Girlfriend’s Shadow Looks Like A Dog
#143
This Projection Of A Telephone Digit Onto The Back Of A Man's Head
#147
While At The Grand Canyon Yesterday, I Took A Picture Of This Shadow That Looked Like The Profile Of A Face
#148
The Shadow Of A Mountain At Sunset Silhouettes Against The Sky
#149
My Christmas Tree Puts A Shadow Of An Elf On The Wall
#150
Shadow Of A Strainer During Partial Solar Eclipse
#152
The Shadow Of My Feet Is In The Opposite Direction
#153
This Shadow Made A Perfect Arrow In The Direction I Needed To Go
#154
The Shadow Of My Couch Looks Like The Silhouette Of A Man
#157
The Shadow Of Our Christmas Tree Didn't Turn Out Very Merry
#158
The Shadow Of The Sugar Packets Kind Of Looks Like The Beast From Beauty And The Beast
#159
I Noticed That My Shadow Looked Like Rihanna
#160
That Shadow!
#161
Late Game Of Fetch With Jose. Why Does His Shadow Look Like A Cat?
#162
Darth Vader Shadow
#163
Shadow In My Shower Looks Like A Confident Slug
#164
Peoples Shadows Seen From A Ferris Wheel
#165
The Shadow Is Blue
#166
My Friend's Shadow Looks Like Three Sneaking Men
#167
Beautiful Shadows
#168
Firestation In My Town Uses Shadows Cast From A Nearby Streetlight To Create Its Sign
#169
The Way My Shadow Is Hidden, I Look Photoshopped Into This Image
#170
This Shadow Cast By A Wet Sieve Looks Digitised
#172
My Building's Shadow Has Gaps Exacly Where The Street Lamps Are
#175
The Shadow Of The Numbers Is More Legible Than The Numbers
#177
The Lights Create A Shadow Of A Non-Existent Bush
#178
This Car's Shadow Looks Like A Happy Cowboy With A Giant Chin
#179
My Prescription On My Right Eye Is Stronger Than The One On The Left. It Is Noticeable When Light Passing Through The Lens Casts Different Shadows
#180
Shadow On Goodwill Sign Makes The Face Appear Menacing
#181
The Shadow Of This Chair Looks Pixelated
#183
The Shadow Cast By The Flowers On My Table Looks Like A Unicorn
#184
The Shadow Casted By This Table Makes It Look Like I'm Wearing Fishnet Stockings
#185
Eclipse Shadows, Portland, OR
#186
My Aloe Plant’s Shadow Is Throwing Up A Peace-Sign
#188
11 Years After Taking This Random Picture Of Strangers, I Realized Their Shadows Look Like Camels!
#191
This Shadow In My House Looks Like Darth Vader
#192
The Shadow Of My Charger Cable Looks Twisted When It's Actually Not
#195
My Shower’s Shadow Forms A Heart
#196
I Was Bummed The Shadow Of The Last 5 Was Blocked, Then My Wife Pointed It Out...
SykesDaMan 7 years ago
For those who (made it this far and) don't see it: it's on the post next to the real 5. It took me a while ...
#199
These Shoes Cast An Interesting Shadow
#200
These Street Signs Stacked On Top Of Each Other Made A Shadow That Looks Like Batman
#201
I Placed My Phone With The Flashlight On, On Top Of This Lamp. Got An Interesting Shadow
#202
My Nephew Is Waiting Downstairs To Scare Me
#203
This Pattern Of Shadows And Light
#205
The Shadow Of My Toilet Paper Roll Looks Like A Teapot
#210
The Way The Shadows Line Up With The Concrete Slabs
#212
The Shadow Of The Words "Good Old" Forms "Gold"
#218
The Shadow Of The Heavy Bag At My Gym Looked A Lot Like "5 Gum" Logo
#219
The Shadow From This Wine Glass Looks Like A Sloth
#220
The Way This Shadow Looks Like A Piano
#222
My Sister's Shadow Will Sell You Propane And Propane Accessories
#223
The Way The Shadow Of My Building’s Number Lines Up With The Stairs When I Come Home Around 5 Each Day
#225
The Shadow Cast From The Roof Of My Tent Makes Me Feel Like I’m In The Upside Down
#226
The Way This Umbrella’s Shadow Looks Like A Head
#227
The Shadow Of This Sign Makes Another Sign Above The Door
Jose Antonio 7 years ago
looks like it may have been done purposefully so someone walking in that walkway can see what place they are at without having to peak out from under the overhang
#230
The Shadow From This Camel Statue In My Apartment Looks Like A Bust
#231
At About 7:30pm Each Day The Shadow Of My Patio Umbrella Looks Like A Big D**k In The Window
#232
The Shadow Of My House Goes Excactly As Far As The Tiles Go
#234
The Shadow My Curtains Cast Is The Senate
#237
This Shadow In My Hotel Room
Freya the Wanderer 7 years ago
You have to look for a minute. Must come from a light that has multiple lense-like divisions in the glass/plastic cover.
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What do you think ?
Ran Gluschnaider 7 years ago
I saw a shadow illusion made by this car's wipers - nearly perfect double batman! Untitled-2...cf0e3f.jpg 
Ran Gluschnaider 7 years ago
I saw a shadow illusion made by this car's wipers - nearly perfect double batman! Untitled-2...cf0e3f.jpg
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