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We at Bored Panda love corny dad jokes as much as absurd stock photos, so we were thrilled when we discovered an online community that puts the two together.

It's called r/YouDontSurf and the subreddit has 378k members. They're constantly adding funny subtitles to pictures they find on websites like Shutterstock or 123RF, and the combinations they create are so bad, they're actually kinda good.

From a guy sitting in front of a river, watching a live stream, to parents who can't stand their annoying kids, continue scrolling and check out some of this subreddit's most popular posts.

#2

The Perfect Date

The Perfect Date

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Balázs Verő
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The most confusing thing is that with DD/MM/YYYY and MM/DD/YYYY someone from a different area will never be sure about a date when 1<=DD<=12. The order of unit size is the logical approach, everything else is religion or some overly exaggarated patriotism. (Disclaimer: I'm hungarian and we use YYYY/MM/DD and I'm a software engineer and handling date-time formats is and was always a pain in the neck)

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Stock photographers specialize not just in imagery, but in sentiment prediction: they anticipate people's needs.

One of these photographers is Heather Barnes. She bought her first DSLR in 2014 and immediately started shooting flowers and portraits. "When I moved to Austin, and didn't know anyone, I took an online food photography course and started photographing everything I was baking," she told Bored Panda.

"I fell in love with it and while I was building my website I used Unsplash to see how my portfolio would appear on a future website that I would create. I ended up leaving them up on Unsplash, and it's created a lot of opportunities for my photography business."

Barnes explained that stock images are generic photos created without a specific idea in mind that anyone can license for creative use.

"They are typically shot to appeal to many different people, with the intention of being able to use them on many platforms. When I photograph stock images, I think, 'What type of article could these be licensed for and what can I avoid that could restrict its use?'"

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#5

Natural Causes

Natural Causes

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But as you can see from our list, stock images can climb to impressive heights of silliness if you take them at face value.

"I think there are a lot of photographers uploading as many photos as possible to see what sticks," Heather Barnes, who also showcases her work on Instagram, added. "It doesn't cost anything to upload more, and who knows what will go viral these days. While everyone is trying to stand out on social media, a weird, scroll-stopping image isn't a bad thing. I say, bring on the absurd!"

#8

Fish Market

Fish Market

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Cheri Aline Sydney
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'll need another plastic bag to barf into after that comment..... We can only wish it were a joke : /

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I I
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

sad but true , and the USA is building the worlds biggest plastic plant , cray cray , we need to use as little as we can and recycle more not produce more

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Devil's Advocate
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Accurate, and also brilliant because people wanting to bag every single item they get is the cause of the problem!

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#9

Honesty Is The Best Policy

Honesty Is The Best Policy

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WilvanderHeijden
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In the Netherlands: You're hired, we like people who don't beat around the bush and aren't afraid to speak their mind.

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And she definitely has a point. Take Shutterstock for example. It launched in 2003 and has grown steadily since then, bolstered by the explosion of web publishing. On the Internet, there is always text in need of decoration. The site offers a library of over 300 million images, with 200,000 more added every day.

As its own kind of inside-out media organization, Shutterstock has developed a market-prediction strategy but it does that without any dirty algorithms. Instead, according to Scott Braut, the company's former VP of content, it provides its contributors with tools like keyword trends and popular searches so they "can find out what people are looking for and when."

One thing that unites stock images, said Jason Winter, a Virginia-based teacher, web designer, and part-time Shutterstocker, is the "unique perspective" presented in the composition of the photos.

Winter explained that when shooting a stock photo, you want to think not just about capturing an image, but also about creating a product that will visually pop, particularly against the white backdrop of a website.

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By "twisting a photo just a bit and making it appear three-dimensional," for example, ensuring that your shot contains a well-defined foreground and background, you can create an image that will embody a stock photo's other-worldly appeal.

#17

Literally Cancer

Literally Cancer

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However, there's also the cultural sensibility of the stock photo. Life, as told through the stock image, is usually beautified and sanitized and occasionally dominated by camisole-clad ladies holding things.

It is unapologetic because it knows that it has its own particular style. One that, meme-like, is incredibly easy to replicate.

#19

Any Doctor Here?

Any Doctor Here?

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Houssem Hammami
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I know another version of it: "is there any doctor here ?" "yes I'm a doctor ,what's going on ?" "A heart attack" "I'm a doctor in philosophy" "He is going to die" "We are all going to die" missing 2 panels

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In the early-to-mid 1900s, stock photography images were basically leftovers from commercial assignments, usually referred to as 'outtakes' or 'seconds.' Stock image libraries and agencies cataloged the images and sold them for purchase and republication in ads, books, annual reports, and the like.

As time passed, however, customers realized they could save considerable time and money by using stock images instead of hiring a photographer for an assignment.

#23

Justice Served

Justice Served

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WilvanderHeijden
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"I almost became a cop too, officer." "What happened?" "My IQ was too high."

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#25

Dinner Date

Dinner Date

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As Shutterstocker Emily Goodwin said, now it's not necessarily the traditionally "pretty" stuff that sells well on the site.

No, it's often the utilitarian content (images that capture the banalities and absurdities of everyday life) that proves to be popular.

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#27

Excellent Delivery

Excellent Delivery

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Miłka Chromińska
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

His expression males me think that it was him who prints out millions of spam letters every day, just so his enemy: Mark the mailman develops crippling back pain 😮

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#28

Delivering The Baby

Delivering The Baby

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#29

Waiting For The Bus

Waiting For The Bus

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#32

Reservations

Reservations

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Serial pacifist
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes, we are from America, and we still have reservations, although the Natives used to have much more land.

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#34

Communication Breakdown

Communication Breakdown

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#35

Don't Forget The Most Important Thing Before Taking A Dump

Don't Forget The Most Important Thing Before Taking A Dump

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#40

Laughter Orb

Laughter Orb

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Note: this post originally had 58 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.

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