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A photograph can capture one’s attention and immediately stir emotions. As your curious mind tries to decipher its backstory, you’re also left in awe of this image that speaks a thousand words, as the cliché goes.
The images on the Utterly Interesting subreddit are excellent examples. All 91,000 members share a fascination for captivating snapshots, many of which are historical moments frozen in time.
We picked out some of the group's best pictures, those that stood out to us. Hopefully, they strir up your curiosity.
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#3
This Seems Relatively High. This You? If So, Why?
u/No_Curve_8141:
The industry started making sound levels abhorrent. The apologists will say that it’s your fault because you don’t have a mega lit sound system, but it’s the same way in movie theaters now. Inaudible dialogue with ear-shattering music and explosions.
Imprison the sound engineers I say.
Looking at these images may beg the question, “What makes a photograph captivating?” The answer will, of course, depend on who you ask. For underwater photographer Eric Engbretson, it’s the product of the photographer’s appreciation and oneness with their subjects.
“If you fall in love with your subjects and let them teach you, it will be impossible for your images not to mirror that love and appreciation,” Engbretson wrote in an article for LinkedIn.
For wilderness landscape photographer Shane Davila, a captivating photograph has a third characteristic outside of pleasing composition and technical proficiency: impact. Davila's article for Wild Scenic simply defined it as “a subject caught in a unique moment.”
“It is the photograph’s ability to capture the genuine attention of the viewer for some extended period of time,” he wrote.
#7
A Historic Journey Of Bridges. Devils Bridge Near Aberystwyth, Wales. The Original Medieval Bridge At The Bottom, The 18c Turnpike Road Bridge In The Middle And The Modern 20c Bridge Above
An eye-catching photo follows the basic “rules” of symmetry, framing, and composition. But for Walla Walla-based photographer Victor Attoh, these rules are more of guidelines to assist in creativity. For him, a captivating photograph offers a unique perspective.
“A new perspective can bring new life to the same old scenes,” Attoh wrote in an article for the Discover Walla Walla website, referencing a quote from motivational speaker Wayne Dyer that says, “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
#11
A Man Looking For A Wife In 1865. His Potatoes Were Bully So I’m Sure He Didn’t Have To Look For Long
#12
“First The Man Takes The Drink, Then The Drink Takes The Man.” Made From Bronze, Glass, And Silver Patina By Thomas Lerooy In 2014
Photos that grab attention tell a story through images. You don’t need to read the caption to know what it’s all about, as the image itself helps you create the narrative. For Denver-based photographer Justin Viens, the storytelling aspect adds the most value.
“The narrative behind an image draws the viewer in and gives the photograph a lasting impact,” Viens wrote in an article for his website.
#15
The Spiral Staircase In Loretto Chapel, Santa Fe, Known As The "Miraculous Staircase," Built Without A Center Support And Without Nails
We’d also like to hear your thoughts, dear readers. Which of these photos grabbed your attention the most and why? Share them in the comments, and feel free to upvote the ones that caught your eye.
#16
In The Atlantic Ocean Off The Coast Of Iceland Is A Lighthouse At An Altitude Of 40 Meters
It was built on Westman Island in 1939 a time when helicopters were not yet in use. Master climbers were used during its construction and for transportation of materials.
#18
The Grave Of An American Pilot Buried By Imperial Japanese Troops. The Sign Reads "Sleeping Here, A Brave Air-Hero Who Lost Youth And Happiness For His Mother Land. July 25 - Nippon Army". Kiska, Alaska, 25 August 1943
#19
To All The People That Have Learnt (Or Are Learning) English As A Second Language, I Salute You
#20
Home Coming- Jimmy Stewart And His Dad Outside The Family Hardware Store, Indiana, Pa., 1945
#21
Storyboards Martin Scorsese Drew When He Was 11-Yrs Old For A Roman Epic: “The Eternal City”
#22
These Were Sold During Prohibition Era As Flavour Blocks To Make Juice. The Box Came With Dried Grapes With Fermentation Instructions How “Not” To Make Wine
#24
Douglas Adams' Grave Has A Bouquet Of Pens And A Small Towel Laid Out For Him. I Think He'd Appreciate This
#25
At The Wank Mountain In Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, This Wankbahn Brings You To The Wankhaus On Top, Where There's A Wank View Observation Area
#26
A Little Alpine Refuge That Was Built More Than 2700m Above Sea Level In Italy’s Dolomite Mountains (Mount Cristallo)
This refuge has been built inside one of the peaks of the massif, with brick walls, a slanted roof, two doorways and four windows framed in wood.
#28
From A 1909 Dictionary Of Victorian Slang. I Say We Bring Back 'Got The Morbs' Into Common Parlance. (When Relevant)
#29
One Of Stalin’s Pipes, Depicting Him And FDR Playing Chess. It Was Given To Him In 1945 By The Visiting Us Chess Team
#30
That Time In A 1933 Article When Frida Kahlo Was Referred To As Someone’s Wife And Her Art Was “Gleeful Dabbling”
#31
This Is The Border Between The Semnan Province And The Mazandaran Province In Iran, Where Desert Ends And Lush Forests Start
#32
Andrew Jackson's African Grey Parrot Named Poll Was Kicked Out Of Jackson's Funeral For Swearing. Before The Sermon And While The Crowd Was Gathering, The Parrot Got So Excited He Started Swearing. It Was Very Loud With No Signs Of Stopping And Had To Be Taken Out Of The House
#33
Sir Patrick Stewart Describes His First Experience Of A Hamburger In America. (You’ll Read This In His Voice)
#35
The Coat Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson Was Wearing When He Was [unalived] At The Battle Of Trafalgar - 21 October 1805 – The Bullet Hole Is Visible In The Left Shoulder
#36
An 18th Century Travel Urinal With A Lover’s Eye Portrait. The Inscription “Ha Je Te Vois Petit Coquin”, Which Roughly Translates To “Ha! I See You, Little Rascal.”
#39
April 6th 1968 - A Letter From George Harrison To Ivan, A Fan. In A Letter Sent To George, Ivan Wrote That He Was In A Band And Wanted To Play The Sitar. He Asked George If He Could Send Him The Money He Needed To Buy The Sitar. George’s Response:
#40
Artist Mr Doodle Has Spent Two Years Covering Every Square Inch Of His £1.35million House In Doodles
Working his way through 900 litres of emulsion, 401 cans of spray paint, 286 bottles of drawing paint, and 2,296 pen nibs.
#41
Marian Henel (1926-1993) Created These Naughty Psychedelic Tapestries In The Basement Of The Hospital For Nervous And Psychologically Ill People In Branice, Of Which He Was A Patient
#42
From A Set Of Pictures Of Mexicans Purportedly Arrested For Homosexuality In 1935. It Belongs To The Collection Of The National Photo Library Of The National Institute Of Anthropology And History In Mexico. (More Info In Comments)
#43
A Cage For Reviving Canaries Used In Coal Mines, With An Oxygen Cylinder, Made By Siebe Gorman & Co. Ltd, London. Circa 1890s
#46
An Anglo-Saxon 10th Century Ce Pocket-Sized Sundial Found In 1938. The Pin, Known As A ‘Gnomon’, Was Placed In The Hole For The Relevant Month. When The Sundial Was Suspended From The Chain, It Used The Altitude Of The Sun To Calculate 3 Separate Times Of The Day
#47
This Civil War Veteran Wears The Cap Of The Grand Army Of The Republic, Founded In 1866. The Number On His Cap Signals That His Post Was 139, Located In Scranton, Pennsylvania. This Prize-Winning Amateur Photograph 1935 Was Taken By Mrs. Nathan Klein Of Wyoming, Pennsylvania
#51
When Hotels Used To Have To Put Up Signs Explaining That Electricity Is Safe And Not To Be Feared
#53
An Advert For The London Police Force In The 1930s For “Hefty Women” But “Must Be Fairly Good Looking”
#56
This Gold And Enamel Ring Was Made In Italy In The 17th-Century
Diamonds are set in the skull’s eye sockets and nose, and in the crossbones. Memento mori rings – from the Latin ‘remember that you must die’ – were intended to remind the wearer of the brevity of life.
#57
A Cyanometer, C. 1789, An Instrument That Measures The Blueness Of A Sky. Invented By Swiss Physicist Horace-Bénédict De Saussure And German Naturalist Alexander Von Humboldt Who Used The Circular Array Of 53 Shaded Sections In Experiments Above The Skies Over Geneva, Chamonix And Mont Blanc
#58
What You Are Seeing Laid Out On The Table Is The Monthly Food Ration Per Polish Citizen In The Early To Mid-1980s
#60
Navigation Signs In Thessaloniki (Greece) Show How Much Calories You Burn If You Would Walk The Distance
#61
Apple's Third Co-Founder Ronald Wayne, Sold His 10% Stake For $800 In 1976. (The Stake Is Currently Valued At $270 Billion)
#62
Plague Cufflinks! These Cufflinks Contain Pictures Of Two Different Strains Of Plague-Causing Bacteria Discovered In 1894, The Names Of Which Are Engraved On The Back. It’s Believed That They Were Made By Fabergé, The Celebrated Russian Jeweller
#64
Richard Vernon Had A Small Role As Colonel Smithers, An Executive Of The Bank Of England, In A Scene Opposite Sean Connery In The 1964 James Bond Film Goldfinger. His Age At The Time Of Filming? 39
#67
KFC Have Just Opened Its First Ever Pub In Hammersmith, West London Where You Can Indulge In Pints And Order KFC Straight To Your Table
#72
In Late February 1921, 2 Weeks Before Taking Office As Potus, Warren Harding Writes A Letter To The Richest Man In America, William Randolph Hearst, Thanking Him For Helping Him Win The Presidency With Favourable Coverage In Major Newspapers He Owned & Begging For His Advice
#73
This Chart Shows The Average Weekly Diet Of One Working Class Family From Oxfordshire In 1912
#74
Open Shoe Case With Compartments For Eight Shoes, By Louis Vuitton, And Two Jewel Cases, One Open Showing The Velvet Interior And Compartments, 1934
#75
On September 25th, 1981, 58-Year-Old Thelma Pauline "Polly" Melton Went Hiking With Two Of Her Friends. According To Them, She Suddenly Sped Up Towards The End Of The Trail And Walked Far Ahead Of Them, Disappearing Over A Hill. She Has Never Been Seen Or Heard From Again
#76
Dog Child, A North West Mounted Police Scout, And His Wife, The Only Handsome Woman, Members Of The Blackfoot Nation, Gleichen, Alberta, Ca. 1890
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