#15 Family Photos
Forced perspective is one of the easiest camera illusions. By playing with distance and perspective, you can trick the eye. No one likes looking at vacation pictures. But they would if they were all like this.This is almost a family vacation classic. Why almost? Look at the woman's face. Where's the fear? An unscrupulous giant is trying to trap her inside of his sand pail. And all she's wearing is a bikini. Someone get this amateur some acting lessons.
#14 Thirsty
This is not a photo of tiny people. They're just super far away. And these desert-dwellers only wish this was a giant bottle of water. It's just really close to the lens.Once everyone was in place, the photographer just lined them up. There was probably a lot of "a little to the left -- no, your left" going on. But this awesome photo is totally worth it.
#13 The Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower hasn't had a makeover. Those are cleverly placed Legos. This photo is by Michael Hughes. Mr. Hughes is credited with getting the internet interested in trompe l'oeil. That's a French word for an art technique that tricks the eye into seeing what isn't there.
Have you seen the chalk optical illusions drawn on public streets? You've probably seen Michael's work. In 2005, Michael added trick photography to his impressive repertoire. That's around the time that this picture went viral.
Have you seen the chalk optical illusions drawn on public streets? You've probably seen Michael's work. In 2005, Michael added trick photography to his impressive repertoire. That's around the time that this picture went viral.
#12 Mind = Blown
Forced perspective isn't just for still images. This forced perspective gif has been viral for a while. It's mesmerizing. People have lost full minutes staring at this. What exactly is going on?
It's not trick photography. It's all forced perspective. It's from the YouTube channel Quirkology. It's full of amazing optical illusions like this.
It's not trick photography. It's all forced perspective. It's from the YouTube channel Quirkology. It's full of amazing optical illusions like this.
#11 Sun Ball
You can do really beautiful things with forced perspective. This photograph is by photographer Waleed Almotar. There's more than just camera tricks going on here. The photo also plays with light.
The subject is in silhouette. The warm dusk light in the background is in stark contrast. Together they create an image that's almost surreal. It's like a game of soccer among the gods.
The subject is in silhouette. The warm dusk light in the background is in stark contrast. Together they create an image that's almost surreal. It's like a game of soccer among the gods.
#10 Movie Magic
The Lord of the Rings used a lot of forced perspective. They made the hobbits look small by positioning them further away from the other characters. This photographer has accomplished something similar here.
When the camera is at one angle, the seated woman looks very small. Then the camera shifts. It's really a normal-sized woman seated further away. The Lord of the Rings wasn't the only movie to use this trick. Harry Potter employed the same technique to make Hagrid look like a giant.
When the camera is at one angle, the seated woman looks very small. Then the camera shifts. It's really a normal-sized woman seated further away. The Lord of the Rings wasn't the only movie to use this trick. Harry Potter employed the same technique to make Hagrid look like a giant.
#9 School Spirit
Forced perspective isn't just for images. It's also a great way to show school spirit. When seen from this angle, the letters look tall. They're actually flat and long. And they extend up the far wall.
Unfortunately, this is only cool from one angle. Most of the visitors to this gym will see indecipherable blue stripes that extend up the wall. But it's better than the static logos that adorn most gyms.
Unfortunately, this is only cool from one angle. Most of the visitors to this gym will see indecipherable blue stripes that extend up the wall. But it's better than the static logos that adorn most gyms.
#8 Sleeveface
Sleeveface is a forced perspective technique popularized around 2007. When the album sleeve is in just the right place, you get photo magic. It also helps if you dress the part. The funnier or more classic the album, the better the shot. The internet is full of comic jewels like this one.
The term "sleeveface" was first coined by the Welsh DJ Carl Morris. No one knows who the first person to try this particular type of forced perspective. It may have been Carl himself.
The term "sleeveface" was first coined by the Welsh DJ Carl Morris. No one knows who the first person to try this particular type of forced perspective. It may have been Carl himself.
#7 May the Force Be With You
That's the most literal light saber we've ever seen. Once you're into forced perspective photography, you'll see opportunities all around you. The light saber was a clever move.
You could also turn the photo on it's side. Then he'd be cutting through the rock with his laser gun. Getting on the ceiling of that cavern would be hard. Staying up there would be even harder. But the photo would totally be worth it.
You could also turn the photo on it's side. Then he'd be cutting through the rock with his laser gun. Getting on the ceiling of that cavern would be hard. Staying up there would be even harder. But the photo would totally be worth it.
#6 Help
This man looks like he's in trouble. It doesn't look like his friend is going to make it to him in time. The man casually catching some rays as he hangs on for dear life is not his friend.
Forced perspective isn't always about distance. You can play with axis too. This trick is even easier. There's a lot less lining up. But you do have to convince your friends to lie on the ground. Once you have willing participants though, the fun is endless.
Forced perspective isn't always about distance. You can play with axis too. This trick is even easier. There's a lot less lining up. But you do have to convince your friends to lie on the ground. Once you have willing participants though, the fun is endless.
#5 Pucker Up
We know all about forced perspective now. But is this a really large woman or a small model of The Sphinx? Forced perspective plays a big role in comedies. Most of them make better jokes than we do.
One of the earliest examples was the 1930 Laurel and Hardy movie "Brats". They used forced perspective and trick photography to portray themselves and their sons at the same time. Filmmakers have been using forced perspective to get a laugh since then. It's still just as funny today.
One of the earliest examples was the 1930 Laurel and Hardy movie "Brats". They used forced perspective and trick photography to portray themselves and their sons at the same time. Filmmakers have been using forced perspective to get a laugh since then. It's still just as funny today.
#4 Fee Fi Fo Fum
Let's hope this is forced perspective. Otherwise we've got a giant problem on our hands. Forced perspective photography can be a lot of fun.
Today, it's mostly a fun hobby. This wasn't always the case. Computer generated images haven't always been around. Before their invention, filmmakers used forced perspective in movies. A toy model of Godzilla can look 50 feet tall if his victims are far enough away
Today, it's mostly a fun hobby. This wasn't always the case. Computer generated images haven't always been around. Before their invention, filmmakers used forced perspective in movies. A toy model of Godzilla can look 50 feet tall if his victims are far enough away
#3 Photo in a Photo
This is another popular example of forced perspective. People take an existing image of the place and hold it up in front of the real thing. It works great on vacation.
No one actually sends postcards anymore. Now they just buy ones with pictures of monuments and landmarks. Then they hold them over the real place and snap a pic. It's a great twist on vacation photos. Take a bunch and label the album "Vacation Inception".
No one actually sends postcards anymore. Now they just buy ones with pictures of monuments and landmarks. Then they hold them over the real place and snap a pic. It's a great twist on vacation photos. Take a bunch and label the album "Vacation Inception".
#2 The Leaning Tower of Pisa
The lawn in front of the leaning tower of Pisa is littered with tourists with their hands held awkwardly in the air. This is perhaps the most overused instance of forced photography in existence. It's in almost every "My Trip to Italy" photo album ever.
People actually go to Pisa just to troll the tourists. The most famous one is YouTuber JegStuffoInfo. On May 7th, 2012, he uploaded the video “Troll high-fiving people in Pisa”. It's exactly what it sounds like. He went around high fiving people with their hands in the air "holding up" the leaning tower. Since he posted the video, it's received around 2 million views.
People actually go to Pisa just to troll the tourists. The most famous one is YouTuber JegStuffoInfo. On May 7th, 2012, he uploaded the video “Troll high-fiving people in Pisa”. It's exactly what it sounds like. He went around high fiving people with their hands in the air "holding up" the leaning tower. Since he posted the video, it's received around 2 million views.
#1 Vintage Photography
This photo was taken in the 1930's. The subject is Flickr user John Robinson's uncle. John posted this picture in October 2006. It's one of the images that sparked the internet's interest in forced perspective. Today it's a runaway meme.
There are thousands of photos out there already. More are uploaded every day. You've got to be pretty creative if you want your image to go viral.
There are thousands of photos out there already. More are uploaded every day. You've got to be pretty creative if you want your image to go viral.
