Normal Pictures That Are Their Own Optical Illusions

Jordan Claes
Man at table and reflection in tv.
reddit | npc48837

Do you remember when you were a kid in school and the library used to have those books on optical illusions? I always hated those. For whatever reason, I could never make the picture work.

Thankfully, thanks to Redditors worldwide, there's no shortage of real-life images that do the same thing. Have a look below and check out these 15 normal pictures that are their own optical illusion.

Did the earth just shift on its axis?

Man sitting in tilted chair.
reddit | Cibovoy

Judging from this photograph, I'd say that the back legs on this man's chair have either sunken into the ground or he's about to fall and just hasn't yet realized it.

This dog sees everything.

Dog sitting underneath car.
Imgur | RaW2DaFlooR

What an adorable puppers! He looks like he has his own set of binoculars and he's patrolling the streets from the concealed safety of his own garage. This is the kind of content I just can't get enough of.

Is this cat lying down, or walking across the banister?

Cat lying down on the floor.
reddit | 72407

If I'm being honest, this one nearly had me fooled. It took me a long time and several rotations with my phone before I realized that the cat is indeed lying down.

Arm in arm, hand in hand.

Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden.
reddit | i-love-tree-rats

It looks like the Vice President and President Biden are getting a little too close for comfort. The fact that their both wearing navy blazers create the illusion that Kamala is holding onto his arm.

I almost had a heart attack.

Stick on the ground.
reddit | Yosho2k

Don't lie, you totally thought that it was a snake too. If I ever saw this lying on the ground next to me as I walked by, I'd probably shriek and run away with my hands waving frantically in the air.

Did the rock break his arm?

Man holding a giant rock.
reddit | gabsteriinalol

Gross! It sure does look that way in the photo. In reality, however, the rock is so large that it's just obstructing a portion of the person's arm. At least, I hope that's what's going on...

I wrestled with an alligator, I tussled with a whale.

Man kneeling down holding a fish.
reddit | GodzillaDoesntExist

My goodness, man — did the fish eat your legs?! I was genuinely concerned at first until it dawned on me that he was just kneeling down on the dock.

How's the view from where you're sitting?

Geese flying.
reddit | outdooraholic

It's almost as if you can't tell where one ends and the other begins! I know what it looks like, but in actuality, the birds are just flying incredibly close in tandem with one another.

It's the amazing half-dog!

Dog out for a walk.
reddit | Boggandy

That is one heck of a strong dog to be able to balance so effortlessly on only its front legs. I can barely hold a handstand for longer than 5-seconds before falling flat on my face.

Did your legs shrink?

Woman holding son.
reddit | Uglystories

This one really threw me for a loop at first. I genuinely thought that this woman was just proportioned a little differently than most. I wish I could unsee that she's just down, behind her son.

Something doesn't look quite right, here...

Man sitting on woman's lap.
reddit | hifarrer

First, let me say that there's nothing wrong with a woman letting the hair on her legs grow out — that's not the issue here. In reality, they really belong to her boyfriend who's lying down on her lap.

That's one seriously long cat.

cats lying down.
reddit | AppleNatives

Does this cat have a giraffe's neck or am I missing something here? I stared at this thing until my eyes went crossed, and then I realized that there are two cats in the photo.

Despite what you might be thinking, this isn't a photo of a rocky beach.

Toasted cashew nuts.
reddit | stueyethers

That's right, this isn't a picture of a bunch of rocks nor is it a photo of crushed shells along a sandy beach. What you're seeing are ground-up cashew nuts.

It's like something straight out of a Harry Potter movie.

Two collies lying in a bed.
reddit | Temporary_Noise_9123

Fluffy, is that you? Shouldn't you be guarding the trapdoor that leads to the Philosopher's Stone? Oh, wait, never mind. It's just two adorable collies cuddling close in their bed.

I'm starting with the man in the mirror.

Man at table reflection in tv.
reddit | npc48837

I'm asking him to change his ways! This one creeped the heck out of me until I was made to realize that it's really the reflection caught in the TV that gives the illusion of two people sitting at the table.