Need help?
A Guide to Optical Illusion Photography
Kamera Express
How do you photograph optical illusions?
Tips & tricks
Are you a hobby photographer looking for a real challenge? Then you should definitely try optical illusion photography. You can create a good optical illusion photo, for example, by playing with perspective. We all know the famous holiday photos with the Leaning Tower of Pisa — chances are you’ve taken a similar photo yourself. But creating an optical illusion or trick photo can also be done in other ways, such as using striking colour contrasts or motion parallax. Motion parallax is based on the idea that objects closer to the viewer appear to move faster than those further away. A fun concept to play with in your photos or videos!
Optical illusion photography
Want to take your trick photography further than the annual holiday snapshot? Great! But how do you photograph an optical illusion? You’ll need to be creative and understand how perspective and light influence your image. Step into the shoes of the person who will eventually view your photo. How can you deceive the eye with a visual paradox? You do this by showing something that isn’t really there. Look for colours or shapes that blend together, create interaction between a small object and the background, or rotate your photo by a quarter turn. Also fun: play with magazine prints, make someone appear to “float”, or photograph reflections in water or glass and then flip the photo upside down.
Buy the perfect camera for your optical illusions
Optical illusion photography is great fun if you want to try something new. But if you’ve really caught the bug and want to create trick photos more often, you can upgrade to a better camera. DSLR cameras are the most suitable for making 3D illusions. These cameras give you more freedom in your photography for all kinds of different illusions. Depending on the type of photo you want to create, you choose the right lens. If you’re working with perspective, for example, you’ll want both the foreground and background to be sharp in your photo.
Grab the Sun
Turn the sun into a tiny ball by holding your fingers closer to the lens. Your fingers will appear larger because they’re so close to the camera. Since it’s a sunset, the result will also create a beautiful silhouette photo that makes it look as if you’re actually holding the sun. Our tip: experiment with perspective. It will give you an astonishing result!
Make Use of Wall Murals
Believe it or not, but this woman is simply sitting on a chair! Because the wall painting resembles the chair so well, you don’t notice at first that she’s actually sitting on it. Where can you find wall murals? Often in large cities you’ll come across beautiful artworks. Spot a balloon painted on a wall? Stand in front of it and pretend you’re grabbing it—suddenly it looks completely realistic!
Shoot for the Moon
In this silhouette photo, you see a paper airplane on its way to the moon. Because the moon is still far away, it’s sunset, and the hand appears large, it really looks like the airplane is flying a great distance. All you need to do is bring your hand and the airplane closer to the foreground and try shooting the scene from below, making the moon appear much farther away. In this case, it’s all about perspective—with special attention to the paper airplane!
Simply Tilt Your Camera
Huh? Are the parasols leaning, or are they standing on a slope? The photographer chose to rotate the camera a quarter turn to the left. Now it looks as if the beach is on a steep hill. In this example, the subject (the parasol) is placed at such an angle that you need to look twice. Selective attention is also a form of optical illusion. The surroundings contain so much information that your brain can’t process everything at once. You’re so focused on the slant that you forget the actual reality.
Use Artworks
This Spanish artwork creates an impossible image or figure in our minds. It’s depicted as a shape that couldn’t possibly exist. Your eyes only see in 2D, while your brain interprets everything in 3D. Go out for an afternoon and look for artworks that you think might trick your brain into seeing an impossible figure.
Visual Illusions
We’re so used to following patterns that sometimes we fail to see what’s real. Here, it looks as if people are walking across a waterfall. But in reality, it’s a beautiful artwork on the pavement. Position yourself low to the ground and stand directly in front of it when taking the picture. That way, it looks as if two worlds melt into one. And enjoy the amazing end result!
