The "A Few Photo Gems" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Catching up on all my reading that I had put aside due to the past holidays.  One online article that I read that came from my Reader's Digest website was a series of photographs that seem to be optical illusions.  The more I looked at them, the more I was amazed at what I saw.  All of the following photographs and descriptions are from Getty Images which is one of the premier websites for fantastic photography.  I posted my10 favorite photos with the comment that accompanied each photo for you to read.  If you are ever in need of fabulous photography, remember and contact Getty Images and let them know what type of photography interests you.  I'm positive they can find something that will help you.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Computer motherboard?  
Or simply jam-packed apartment buildings from an unusual angle? Viewed straight up from the street level, this old residential building on Hong Kong island becomes a canyon of glass and concrete, jagged with balconies and window-mounted AC units. Lose yourself in the details of this optical illusion photo—just try not to lose your footing.

Four alarm fire?  

Or geological magic? The rising sun lights up the fiery sandstone walls of Utah’s Mule Canyon, a real-life optical illusion above these Anasazi ruins. Visitors have named the site House on Fire, and it’s easy to see why. These dwellings are estimated to be more than 800 years old. Take a look inside, and you’ll get a sense of the human history of the place: Smoke stains on the roof tell the story of evenings long ago.

Lava on another planet

Or an amazing natural optical illusion phenomenon on ours? At 370 feet wide, Yellowstone’s Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest hot spring in America, piping nearly 200-degree water out of the earth at the clear blue center and cooling it to about 131°F in those reddish-brown rivulets. The cooler the water, the greater the variety of light-reflecting bacteria that live there, creating a stunning rainbow effect explorer Ferdinand Hayden called “a privilege and a blessing” to behold.

Underwater waterfall?

Or just a natural phenomenon in the super-clear water surrounding Mauritius Island? This eye-bending optical illusion photo is actually just sand being pushed off an underwater shelf in the Indian Ocean, called the Mascarene Plateau.

Penthouse pool?

Or coastal lake? This optical illusion photo of Lake Sørvágsvatn in the Faroe Islands (between Iceland and Norway) appears as though it sits hundreds of feet above the ocean. In reality, the lake only sits about 90 feet above the sea! A waterfall at one end tumbles dramatically into the ocean, but when capturing this amazing view from the right angle the lake seems like a natural infinity pool, hovering above the North Sea.

Infinity pier?

Or just a long one? The Cherry Grove Pier juts out 985 feet into the water off North Myrtle Beach in South Carolina, but this optical illusion photo makes it look like it goes on forever. The pier was built in the 1950s but was lengthened in 1999 after surviving Hurricane Floyd. Now, it’s a popular fishing and tourist attraction.

Headless cow?

Or two curious bovines? There probably isn’t a zombie cow problem in the mountains of Northern Spain, but if there were, it might look a little like this. Watch out, brown cow! Or maybe it’s one cow head, two bodies? Either way, we’ll leave them alone.

Film set building facade?

Or just a low angle making this slim building look like a front? If you’re familiar with the Flatiron Building in Manhattan, New York City, then you know how an oddly shaped building (in this case, a weird, triangular one) can appear flat or fake from different angles. These cute apartments in Marseille, France, look like they’re one-room deep, but it’s just the angle!

Witch’s tower?

Or wooden stairwell? Viewed from the ground floor, the wooden planks of this staircase and the landing roofs create an optical illusion photo that messes with your eyes, seeming to go up and up. How many stories can you see?

Giant’s bathtub?

Or a trick of perspective at Scotland’s Ladybower Reservoir? This clever picture might be the ultimate in optical illusion photos. A human hand holding a plug over the reservoir spillway, which appears to be draining fast. It does look like a lovely place for a dip though a bit cold.