Photography, like any other art form, welcomes a wide variety of interpretations. Some artists shoot exclusively on film, while others prefer digital. Some make no edits to their images once they’ve been shot, while some spend hours perfecting them. And some don’t intend to be photographers at all but accidentally create optical illusion masterpieces just by snapping a quick pic.
That’s where the Confusing Perspective subreddit comes in. Not all of the photos on this list were accidentally confusing, but they all create the same effect: making viewers question what in the world is going on. And clearly, these photos are quite popular, as the subreddit has amassed an impressive 2 million members since its inception.
Perspective is an important aspect to consider in photography. According to DepositPhotos, in the world of photography, perspective “refers to the visual connection between the elements in a photo.” This includes the angle the picture was taken from, the composition of the subjects in the image and where the viewer is seeing all of these elements from.
And lucky for you, if you’re a creative photographer, the sky’s the limit when it comes to what we can do with perspective in photos. But five common types that you’re likely familiar with are linear, high-angle, low-angle, forced perspective and fisheye.
Images taken with linear perspective are straightforward and use converging lines to “create an illusion of depth and distance” in a photo, DepositPhotos explains. Meanwhile, the high-angle perspective is pretty self-explanatory. It involves standing high above something and shooting down. For example, a photo taken from the top of a stairwell that shows all the way down to the floor. On the other hand, low-angle is the exact opposite. It might be taking a photo of the Eiffel Tower from standing directly below.
Forced perspective is an interesting and often amusing way to create images that aren’t exactly as they appear to be. This is when photogs strategically place or align objects to make them appear larger or smaller than they are in real life. For example, you might be able to hold a mountain in the palm of your hand by standing far away from the mountain yet close to the camera. And finally, fisheye perspective is typically accomplished by using a lens that distorts images and makes them appear bent or stretched in the shape of a circle.
When it comes to the purpose of perspective in photography, Adobe notes on their site that it allows photographers the opportunity to challenge how others see the world and gives them the chance to view it through the photographer’s eyes.
“Perspective in photography is like what prose and poetry are in language,” photographer David Rose told Adobe. “You can read a sentence that’s technically correct and gets the point across, but it doesn’t really captivate you. You can take a serviceable picture of something, but if you can capture an interesting perspective of it, you can really draw the viewer in.”
If you’re interested in playing with the perspective in your own photos, Rose recommends first considering exactly what you want to include in the image and what kind of story you want to tell. Then, decide on a clear focal point, which will be exactly where you want viewers’ eyes to go. Next, play with your vantage point. Move the camera around, lie on the ground, climb to the top of a staircase, etc. Don’t be afraid to get creative!
