Eyes can play tricks on the mind. Or is it the mind playing tricks? Here are 31 very cool examples of photographic illusions that will toy with your mind and leave you wondering. 1. Super Valet Illusions date back a long time. The ancient Greeks used illusions. Probably not by “moving” cars, though. 2. Natural Water In 350 BCE, Aristotle said, “Our senses can be trusted, but they can be easily fooled.” The philosopher used a waterfall to prove his point. 3. Bottling Birds Scientists started to seriously study illusions in the 1800s. They were the first to theorize how the eyes can trick the mind. 4. Hot Air The scientists studied perception, among other things. 5. Cold Medicine Our brain makes judgments about size using adjacent objects. 6. Tangled Other scientists during this time used lines to show how our brain perceives, or misperceives, images. 7. Deep Sketch The brain uses trusted lines to gauge perspective and distance. 8. Party Trick In the late 1800s, Hermann von Helmholtz showed the world that we can look at images and misunderstand what we see. 9. Hold On! Hermann von Helmholtz proved that our perception can be manipulated. 10. Real Sand. Not Real Stairs. “Filled space” is a term scientists use to hypothesize how our brains estimate perceived information. . .incorrectly. 11. Fruit And A Head…And A Little Man The brain is constantly trying to make sense of information. 12. Mirror Magic Sometimes, the brain interprets information incorrectly. As with an illusion. 13. Down The Eyeball Case in point: Do you see a drain? Or do you see an eyeball? 14. Hangin’ With The Clouds Researchers agree that our visual system cannot possibly process all the information the eyes absorb. 15. Hangin’ On So the brain is forced to fill the gaps or attempt to interpret what the eyes see. 16. A Day At The…Beach?! What is real? What is not real? 17. Air Freshener You are tricked into thinking you see something. 18. What Are You Lookin’ At? Your brain “fills the gaps” to make sense of information that does not make sense. 19. Yard Sqaured An illusion is a thing that is, or is likely to be, wrongly perceived or interpreted by the senses. 20. Pool Meeting What is real? 21. Now You See Me. . . What is not real? 22. Now You Don’t. Liu Bolin, a Chinese artist, forces the illusion of being invisible using full-body paint. 23. Woman In The Rocks This illusion is not limited to men. Can you find Mandy in this environment? 24. Say Hello To My Little Friend Forced perspective is a way to create the illusion of different sizes. 25. Do You See Him? The illusion of being invisible, thanks to body paint. 26. Floating On Water, Or Floating On Air? Shadows can also cause illusion. 27. See Thru Sometimes, the brain fills the gaps to make meaning of what we see. 28. Spot The Empty Spot Patterns can create illusion. 29. Cloudy With A Chance Of Dragons There are lots of opportunities to trick the brain. 30. Hey Cutie, Don’t Get A Big Head Have you figured out how this was achieved? (Forced perspective.) 31. Wall Walk Can your brain make sense of what your eyes are seeing?
