40 Incredible Examples of Optical Illusions in Photos

 Some find them frustrating, while others just can’t get enough – optical illusions is something that will always leave you perplexed and questioning your eyesight. We all know the classic young girl turning into an old lady portrait, or sets of geometric figures that turn out to be of a different size than it appeared. Optical illusions are images that differ from the objective reality. But how do they work?

Basically, it’s our minds trying to find the easiest way to look at things. At a first glance, we try to relate the image with the most basic and close interpretation of it, and only after a few seconds do we realize that separate details of the image don’t even make sense. This element of surprise is also what gets us in the so-called perfectly timed pictures: first we see one thing, but then it can be deconstructed into something else. Check out this list of incredible and funny optical illusions and see for yourself!

 Camouflage art by Wilma Hurskainen 

 A guy dropped a pair of Hula Hoops (potato snacks) into coffee and saw a bird of prey staring back at him. (link) 

 French landscape astrophotographer Laurent Laveder shows how some simple props and a bit of imagination can turn the moon into anything you like. (link) 

 A work by Japanese artist Makoto Aida titled AZEMICHI (a path between rice fields). (link) 

 This eye is actually a draining sink accidentally captured by Redditor named Liam. (link)

 This is not a caterpillar! It’s a group of European Bee-eaters on a branch captured by José Luis Rodríguez. (link) 

 This is just a martini glass for a Julyna’s ad campaign (link) 

 Perfectly timed photo of the full moon rising through the Olympic Rings hanging beneath Tower Bridge during the London 2012 Olympic Games (link) 

 “Eye” by Marko Popadic (link) 

 Mexican studio Golpeavisa made a portrait of René Redzepi (the world’s best chef) out of food. (link) 

 Praying mantis riding two sprouting ferns captured by Tustel Ico (link)

 Body painting art by Craig Tracy. (link)