When taking a photo, most of us don’t think to examine every bit of the background. We are usually too focused on how our hair looks or whatever subject we’re capturing to take notice of the entire image. Even when we look back at our pictures later, we are not likely to catch anything aside from what we intended to capture. But maybe we should start looking at our photos a little more closely; we might be surprised to find hidden details or photobombers in the background that completely change the nature of the image.
We’ve gathered a list of some of the best “when you see it” photos that might play tricks on your eyes, from pictures that have hilarious things peeking out in the background to photos that will always seem off, no matter how hard you stare at them. We hope you enjoy this funny and perplexing list, and be sure to upvote the pics that you looked at long enough to induce a headache. Then if you’d like to see even more of these confusing photos, be sure to check out one of Bored Panda’s previous posts on the same topic right here.
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My Pillow Has A Surprise Inside
A picture is worth a thousand words, but if there’s an unexpected twist hiding in the background, it might be worth two thousand. We’re all familiar with optical illusions, but usually they are created on purpose. It’s a rare occasion when an unsuspecting photo becomes an optical illusion after people look at it and start saying, “Wait a second…” While most of the photos here are funny based on what’s in the background or peeking out from a corner, some are just our eyes playing tricks on us.
To learn more about how our eyes can fool us, we checked out this Vox article that explains how each of our realities are constructed by our own brains. “It’s really important to understand we’re not seeing reality,” neuroscientist Patrick Cavanagh, a research professor at Dartmouth College and a senior fellow at Glendon College, told Vox. “We’re seeing a story that’s being created for us.” He explained that typically, what our brains tell us does match up with the real world, but sometimes our brains work to fill in gaps, which can warp our perception of reality.
I Didn't Think I'd Actually Lose In A "Hide And Seek" Game With My Nephew
A Place For Everything
In his article, Brian Resnick explains that the fact that visuals can trick us may seem disheartening at first, but we shouldn’t look at it that way. We can actually learn a great deal about how our brains work when we know what can confuse or fool them. He goes on to explain that the more we understand about how our brains work, the more we might be able to understand one another. Rather than being frustrated by someone who perceives the world differently, have some compassion. After all, their brain is feeding them a slightly different message than what yours is telling you. We should be curious about these differences and investigate them.
Brian also poses the question of why we are seeing a story of the world rather than the full picture. Apparently, we evolved to be this way. “We don’t have the necessary machinery, and we wouldn’t even want it, to process carefully all of the amount of information that we’re constantly bombarded with,” Susana Martinez-Conde, a neuroscientist and illusion researcher at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, told Vox.
We Took This Photo In The Caves Of Branson, MO Over 2 Years Ago. We Never Noticed Our Unexpected Guest Until Now
When You See It
Fun fact: there is an owl species in the Vietnamese language called "Cú mèo" which literally translate to "Owl Cat" so I think this photo fits perfectly.
I Looked Over, And My Cat Was Doing The Same Thing As The Curtain
When we see an object move, for example, there is a complicated process happening inside of us. “Once light hits the retinas at the back of our eyeballs, it’s converted into an electrical signal that then has to travel to the visual processing system at the back of our brains,” Brian explains. “From there, the signal travels forward through our brains, constructing what we see and creating our perception of it. This process just takes time.”
If we only relied on what our brain had fully processed, our reflexes would be too slow for us to have very good coordination. So we need our brains to fill in the gaps and make predictions for us. When we see something moving, we see it just a tad bit further along than it actually is because we know where it’s headed. And when we see a confusing photo, it can be very hard to convince our brains that what it initially thought was happening might not actually be the case.
My Daughter Thought This Was Her. Bonus: My Son In The Background
Spot The Pug
Nope, You're Wrong. Look Closer
Adam Hantman, a neuroscientist at Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Janelia Research Campus, explains that we are almost always relying on predictions that our brain makes and then using our senses to course-correct any inaccurate predictions. Even the way we see colors can be confusing. Most of the time we can agree with others about what color something is, but sometimes colors are up for debate. Do you remember the infamous white and gold or blue and black dress? An interesting development from that whole dress drama was the theory that someone’s lifestyle might affect how they perceive images and colors.
In a study on the infamous dress conducted by Pascal Wallisch, he found a strange correlation between those who agreed on the color of the dress. People who consider themselves night owls were more likely to see the dress as blue and black, while early risers, or larks, were more likely to call the dress white and gold.
I Swear There Are Four Of Us
Happy Easter
Me At Five Years Old. When You See It
See the squirrel, but I wanna know what THIS is: Screenshot...98fc3b.png
Omg..I zoomed in on this and stared at every inch and didn't see ANYTHING but what I thought was a squirrel tail, but there was no squirrel body. It wasn't until after I zoomed out I made the connection that the squirrel tail does in fact have a body attached to it. I need new eyes
I can't believe that little girl bombed your photo. A squirrel's 5 year photo is supposed to be sacred and special...
Wallisch believed that the reason for this correlation was because participants assumed the lighting on the dress was whatever they are more familiar with. For example, larks spend more time experiencing natural light than night owls do, so if they view the image like it is being drenched in sunlight, it appears white and gold. On the other hand, night owls tend to assume that there is fluorescent light on the dress, which would make it appear blue and black.
“The owls versus lark data seems quite compelling for explaining a large part of the individual differences,” says Sam Schwarzkopf, a vision scientist at the University of Auckland. But it does not explain everything. “There are still lots of other factors that must have a strong influence here. It could be prior experience with the subject matter, or related to other aspects of people’s personality,” he says. “Yes, the dress continues to mystify.”
This Can Happen When You Blink Faster Than The Shutter On Your Camera
A Random Stranger Came Up To My Girlfriend And I To Show Us The Photo She Took Of Us
When You See It
Our brains have all sorts of biases, and they are used to ignoring information that does not serve us or overloads us. We filter out things like the fact that we can always see our noses because it does not serve us. We don’t need to see our nose; we know, or should I say knows, it’s there. But a similar thing happens when we see an image where there is just too much going on. We can’t necessarily see every detail, at least not at first glance. So that’s why it might take you a moment to catch a cat hiding in a pillowcase or a child in the corner in these photos. We can only handle so much information at once, and if there is something you’re not expecting to see, your brain might just ignore it.
I Lost My Cat Today And Eventually Found Him Like This Staring At Me
Friend Is Moving Away With Her Best Friends. When You See It
Had A Nice Photo With The Missus And Had It Put On A Key Ring, Only To Later Notice This Gem. Worst/Greatest Picture Ever
What is so special about this? Just a couple smiling next to a moon. That's it.
When it comes to the photos on this list that appear normal at first glance, once we do realize something bizarre is happening, it can be impossible to unsee what we now know. The picture looked completely fine 5 seconds ago, but now it’s been tainted. Why does that happen? Nothing has actually changed except our perception. Alexis C. Madrigal discussed this phenomenon in a piece for The Atlantic. She showed an example of a black and white photo that might look abstract at first glance but actually features a dalmatian. "It is hard to discern a Dalmatian standing among many black spots scattered on a white background because the part of the image corresponding to the dog lacks contours that define the edges of the dog, and the dog’s spotted texture resembles that of the background," Dartmouth cognitive scientists Peter Tse and Howard Hughes wrote about the image. "Many observers find that they first recognize one part of the dog, say the head, which then makes the whole dog’s shape apparent."
I Heard This Kid Yelling For His Dad At Lowe’s, I Went Looking For Him And
Lost My Wallet 3 Days Ago, Finally Ordered New Cards And Then
Glitch In The Mirror
But if people ever come across that image of the dalmatian again, they will see it immediately. "When the scene is encountered again, sensory cues will again identify high information areas, but this time the prior knowledge needed to complete the perceptual act is readily available, and the perceptual interpretation is achieved in a way that seems automatic and perhaps inevitable," says Tom Toppino, a Villanova psychologist. "One general lesson of this demonstration is that perception is not the result of simply processing stimulus cues. It also importantly involves fitting prior knowledge to the current situation to create a meaningful interpretation."
When You See It
Bet We Can Beat You At Hiding And Seek Uncle David. Bet You Can’t
Oh well that could be a much more terrifying story than the caption implies ;-;
I Was Trying To Take A Nice Photo Of My Cat When I Noticed The Neighbours' Cat In The Background
Some ambiguous images are “reversible”, like the famous Rabbit-duck illusion, where you might be able to know both are there and flip back and forth between which one you see. But other images can never be seen the same again. "I think one can describe the can't-unsee phenomenon as follows: Once you interpret visual stimulus in a certain way, you'll continue to interpret it in the same way now and the next time you encounter the stimulus," Toppino says. "Ambiguous figures certainly involve some of the same processes."
My Sister Was Taking Pictures Of My Nephew At School
OK, this is funny. For those whose still haven't seen it, look to the top left.
Let's Play "Spot The Culprit"
My Friend Tried To Take A Nice Picture At The Mall
We hope you are enjoying this list of photos that might require you to stare at them for several minutes to understand. Just think of them as real life Where's Waldo images. And as for the ones that are more like optical illusions, maybe your fellow pandas can help you understand what's going on in the comments. Keep upvoting the pics that you find most hilarious or confusing, and then if you want to check out even more "when you see it" pics, we've got another Bored Panda piece for you to read next right here.
When You See It
Oh, Hey Mom. No, No One Is Here. I Was Talking To Myself. Yeah, Good Night Mom
Unless there's context to this, this picture is absolutely terrifying. Just look at the fan wire and trace it, you'll see it.
Not Sure If Intentional Or Oblivious, But This Architect Did A Bad Job
You'll Laugh When You See It
Sometimes You Just Know You’re Being Watched
The Best Place To Hide From Animal Control Is Right Under Their Noses
And The Void Stares Back
When You See It
Truckers don't exchange numbers, we exchange doors. That's how it works, right?
When You See It
Thought It Was Snow
Without That Big Wheel Sticking Out You’d Never Know There’s A Truck In The Picture
The truck is on the left half facing the camera or back facing the camera. It is reflecting off the flash or light which is making a mirror image to the second half of the picture. If you look close both halves of the photo are mirror images of each other.
Spot The Bird
When You See It
Went Into My Dad's Attic And This Caught My Eye. Bricks Were Shat. When You See It
Took A Picture Of My Cousin At Their Wedding Table And It Caught The Groom's Nose
I see. He is sitting directly to her left. And the face we see is actually his. She is looking away so her face isn't seen.
Looked Up And Noticed This While Using The Bathroom
My Friend Sent Me Pictures Of Her Proposal. She Told Me To Look Closely
I Really Appreciate My Math Teacher's Halloween Costume
When You See It
All The Brown You Can See Is Spiders
When You See It
I'd make that face as well if someone tries to make a selfie in my car window
Pouty Kid Is Pouty
This Is What I Have To Deal With Every Morning While Going To The Bathroom
Oh! Fun! burn the house, get out as soon as possible!
When You See It. Happy Holidays
When You See It. Couldn't Figure Out Where She'd Got To Until I Was Walking Around The Living Room, I Felt Like I Was Being Watched
Reminds me of the story I saw on YouTube about the woman who mailed a box of DVDs across the country and then realised her cat had vanished. Guess where Kitty was? A few days later a very confused person opened their new box of DVDs and found their order had come with a free cat. Who was dehydrated but otherwise okay, thank goodness.
When You See It
Look Closely
I Finally Figured Out Where My Cat Has Been Hiding. I Only Saw Him Because A Bird Chirped On TV And He Stuck His Head Up Slightly. Who Sees Him?
He’s Not Mean, Just A Bit Stalky
Look Closely For One Of The Reasons Why You Can't Just Swim In Any Body Of Water In The American South. This One Is In The Cape Fear Region Of North Carolina
There's a Croc/alligator in the water, between the pole and the rocks/rampy ground
Find My Cat In This Photo
When You See It
OMG, that is extremely funny. Kinda remind me of my friend Eric. We were playing Capture the Flag at night with barely any lights and Eric, who was wearing black boxers, told us: "Hey man, since I'm black, they'll barely be able to see me so I can all the flags." We still lost but it was funny nonetheless.
It Took Me 5 Minutes To Understand This Not-Disturbing Photo
When You See It
When You See It
Our Big Bad Pitbull, Hiding From The Lawnmower
I Was Frantically Looking For My Dog For 10 Minutes
So Damn Cute
When You See It
An Alligator Snapping Turtle Hibernating Under A Sheet Of Ice
When You See It
Look Closely
I Wanted To Take A Thanksgiving Family Photo. When You See It
When You See It
Went To A Wedding Today. When You See It
All-Time "Hide And Seek" Winner
When You See It. You'll See Why I Opted To Use The Stove Instead Of The Grill
The Reason Why You Need To Watch Every Step You Take When Out In The Woods
I have seen this so many times. If you wanna know where it is, just look right in the middle of the photo. For what danger it is, well, I don't wanna ruin the surprise.
After My Initial Flash Of Fear, I Took A "When You See It" Picture
This Kids Head
This Was In A Children's Book At An English Language School I Used To Work At. When You See It
My Cat Thinks She's A Ninja
I See What You've Been Doing All Day
This Truck On The Highway In Front Of Me. So Much Going On Here, I Don’t Even Know Where To Start
I Took A Pic From My Balcony In Korea. Look Closely At The Clothesline
When You See It. Attic Edition
Find The Toddler
When You See It
Oh c'mon! I don't know for how long they were riding but this is one uncomfortable position to sit in.
My Cat Hiding Among The Stuffed Animals
Today In "Find The Cat"
spoiler alert : ...................................................................................under the TV, on the right
When You're Munching Gummy Worms But Are Also Transforming Into A Werewolf
My Cat Tried To Hide From Me
I Was Laughing At This Junk-Filled Truck, Until I Looked Closer
Dos Mirónes - Took This Shot For A Client. Learned Later I Wasn't Alone
Not the chair…but how much is that kitty in the window (directly above the monitor on the right)?
Friend Tried To Take A Mirror Selfie. Look Closely
When You Straighten Up The Guest Room For Company
When You See It
When You See It
Took A Picture Of My Brother At The Museum Of Natural History. When You See It
Took Us A While To Realize What’s Going On Here
When You See It
I Become Grocery
That kids all squashed, put it back on the shelf and grab another one.
When You See It
Enjoying The View
Spot A Parrot
When You See It
Blursed Fall (Look Closely In The Middle Of The Picture)
Influencer Chess (When You See It)
I Woke Up In The Middle Of The Night And Couldn’t Find My Friend
That's Crazy
When You See It
Took Her Outside To Get Some Distance From Her From The Non-Stop Noise Coming Out Of Her. And If This Picture Doesn't Sum Up Parenting, I Don't Know What Does
When You See It. No Solicitors
Set Up My Gaming Rig In Wife’s Office While We Work On The Basement
Taking The GF Out For A Coffee
(As I once saw in a meme...) I like long romantic walks on the beach with my girlfriend. Until the LSD wears off and I find myself dragging a mannequin around the parking lot at Wendy's.
My Family Plays A Game Where There Is Always A Rubber Duck Looking At You Around The House, Whoever Finds It Must Hide It In A Place The Duck Can See You
Just spotted it after a month in hiding.
Lost My Wallet A Couple Of Days Ago. Found It On My Way Home Today
take a picture of its wallet on the hood before stopping, priorities are not clear for some ....
Snakes On A Plane
Hey Bored Panda! How about not posting photos of bloody, maimed animals? Yeah? Thanks! You censor the dumbest c**p (a word which you will censor), but bloody pieces of an animal? No problem!
Whoever posted that spider one needs to die in a blaze of righteous flame!
Most entertained by that one.. great at 2am too! Thanks! Can't wait to dream..
Wanna tell me what the heck this is supposed to be? The tracking of a packet of yours? I'll cancel my downvote if someone tells me how this isn't a virus
Load More Replies...Whoever posted that spider one needs to die in a blaze of righteous flame!
Most entertained by that one.. great at 2am too! Thanks! Can't wait to dream..
Wanna tell me what the heck this is supposed to be? The tracking of a packet of yours? I'll cancel my downvote if someone tells me how this isn't a virus
Load More Replies...