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Article created by: Akvile Petraityte 🇺🇦

There’s something very off about these empty places. We can feel it in our bones. The hairs on the back of our necks are standing on end and our guts are telling us someone’s watching us, lurking in the shadows, just out of sight. Can you feel it too, Pandas? The eeriness? The tension? The low-key anxiety? We hope it’s not just us.

Liminal spaces exist as thresholds between one place and the next. They are the ‘in-between’ spaces like empty streets, waiting rooms, hallways, stairwells, parking lots, and airports that mark a transition between your starting point and your destination. Often, they make us feel uneasy. Unsettled. Even fearful. Especially when captured through the lens of a savvy photographer. Bored Panda has curated this list of exquisite, dreamlike, liminal weirdness to share with you how bizarre some parts of our world, near and far, really are when there’s nobody but us around.

Photographer Dominic Sberna, from the United States, was kind enough to answer Bored Panda's questions about the role that lighting plays in setting the mood and tone of photos. Scroll down for the interview.

Are you ready to step across the threshold into the land where nightmares and reality mix like waves in a storm? Stay close, don’t wander off, don’t get lost, and let’s go explore. Oh, but if you do find your way back safe and sound, you might want to take a dive into our previous article about liminality right here.

#1

First Post Here, Does This Count? Clouds Over St Petersburg

Surreal photo of eerie blue clouds above tall, dark buildings creating an uneasy and mysterious urban atmosphere.

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    #2

    Oregon Wildfires Making It Look Straight Apocalyptic

    UPS delivery truck parked on a street bathed in surreal red light, creating an uneasy and eerie atmosphere.

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    #3

    Hell

    Rows of empty cubicles with old computers and office supplies creating a surreal and uneasy atmosphere in the workspace.

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    #4

    Ethereal Playground. I Saw A Bunch Of Kids Playing In The Slides And They Were Barely Visible Through The Thick Fog, You Could Only Hear Their Laughter And Scurrying Footsteps

    Empty playground with old swings and a slide in thick fog, creating a surreal and uneasy atmosphere.

    Annoyniket Report

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    #5

    It Is A Portal

    Swing set standing alone in a barren field with mountains in the background, creating a surreal and uneasy atmosphere.

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    #6

    The Pool I Work At Kind Of Creeps Me Out When We Turn Off The Lights At Close

    Dimly lit indoor swimming pool with surreal lighting, creating an eerie and unsettling atmosphere in the scene.

    cassidog Report

    #7

    3:15 AM

    Two covered cars parked on a dark street in front of a house, creating a surreal and uneasy atmosphere at night.

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    #8

    Harbor Glow

    Fishing boats docked at a foggy harbor at night creating a surreal and uneasy atmosphere in the reflection on the water.

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    #9

    You Are Waiting For A Train

    Empty train station with multiple platforms and pillars creating a surreal photo that evokes uneasy feelings.

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    #10

    Oh Yeah

    Empty underground corridor with bright lights and smooth walls, a surreal photo evoking uneasy feelings for unknown reasons

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    #11

    The Fog Makes The Funfair On The Meadows Seem A Little Creepy

    Foggy amusement park with colorful lights and Ferris wheel creating a surreal and uneasy atmosphere at dusk.

    docju Report

    #12

    Dystopian

    Surreal photo of a foggy street at night with a glowing sign saying wear a mask, creating an uneasy mood.

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    #13

    Kolmanskop Ghost Town In Namibia

    Abandoned room with sand dunes filling decayed walls and doorways in a surreal scene evoking uneasy feelings.

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    #14

    No Power

    Surreal photo of multiple humanoid robots with bowed heads in a dimly lit room creating an uneasy atmosphere.

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    #15

    Can You Hear The Buzzing?

    Dimly lit, endless corridor in a basement with beige walls and fluorescent lights creating a surreal and uneasy atmosphere.

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    #16

    Are You Sure You Can't Hold It Until Morning?

    Small white structure glowing faintly in a dark forest at night, creating a surreal and uneasy atmosphere.

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    #17

    The Sky Is Falling

    Surreal photo of indoor city scene with glowing street lamps and unusual floating ceiling feature creating uneasy feeling.

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    #18

    Very Liminal-Looking Indoor Pool Area At The Place I'm Staying For A Vacation

    Indoor empty apartment complex with surreal photos vibe, featuring swings, pool, seating, and tall support pillars.

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    #19

    I Think I Found A Level Fun Entrance

    Dark and empty party room entrance with "private party" sign, creating a surreal and uneasy atmosphere.

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    #20

    Photo I Took Of A Quiet Street At Night

    Surreal photo of empty street at night with colorful houses and a lone white car under a streetlight creating an uneasy atmosphere.

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    #21

    Beach Walk To Nowhere

    Foggy beach with waves and scattered footprints, capturing a surreal photo that evokes uneasy feelings.

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    #22

    Marienplatz U-Bahn Station

    Curved orange tunnel with black lines and white tiled floor creating a surreal photo that feels visually unsettling.

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    #23

    I Feel Like I Really Want To Be There

    Dimly lit empty alley with closed shutters, creating a surreal and uneasy atmosphere in the photo.

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    #24

    The Attic Of An Abandoned House I Visited

    Narrow attic hallway with slanted walls, damaged ceiling, and single window creating surreal and uneasy atmosphere.

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    #25

    Day 926 Since The Pandemic Began

    Surreal photo of a foggy urban building with faint staircase outlines, creating an uneasy and mysterious atmosphere.

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    #26

    I've Been Going For Days Now. It Smells Like Must And Old Bedding. I Think I'm On A Ship

    Rows of empty hanging beds in narrow corridor creating surreal photo with uneasy atmosphere and eerie feeling.

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    #27

    My Girlfriend Works In A Bingo Hall And Sent Me This

    Large surreal photo of an empty bingo hall with hundreds of identical red and blue seats creating an uneasy atmosphere.

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    #28

    Market

    Desert landscape with a weathered jewelry for sale stand, creating a surreal and uneasy atmosphere in the empty space.

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    #29

    Carlsbad Caverns National Park Snack Bar

    Surreal photo of a dimly lit cave interior with a circular information desk and rocky textured ceiling.

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    #30

    Why Does It Have To End?

    Surreal photo of a sidewalk ending abruptly at grass with a sign, creating an uneasy and unexpected feeling at night.

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    #31

    My Town's Library Is Under Construction, So They're Using An Old Grocery Store As The Temporary Library

    Empty library with rows of shelves and wooden bins filled with CDs, creating a surreal and uneasy atmosphere.

    pooshins Report

    #32

    Took A Ferry Tonight

    Empty ferry seating area with caution tape, surveillance camera, and dim lighting creating a surreal and uneasy atmosphere.

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    #33

    The 5AM Ferry From Seattle

    Empty retro diner booths with patterned floor and windows showing sea view creating surreal atmosphere interior.

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    #34

    How Relaxing

    Plastic chair abandoned in dense forest clearing with scattered branches and muddy ground, evoking surreal unease.

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    #35

    Playground At Girlfriends' Apartment Gives Off Weird Smell

    Indoor playground structure with slide and monkey bars under exposed ceiling, a surreal photo evoking uneasy feelings.

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    #36

    Local Town Hall

    Colorful surreal interior with purple stairs, geometric patterned floor, and blue ceiling creating an uneasy surreal photo atmosphere.

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    #37

    I Smell Metal And Mold

    Empty office space with tangled hanging cables creating a surreal and uneasy atmosphere indoors.

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    #38

    Permanently Closed

    Empty supermarket aisles with bright sale signs create a surreal photo evoking uneasy feelings and abandoned atmosphere.

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