About Me

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Delta, British Columbia, Canada
I took very early retirement from teaching in '06 and did some traveling in Europe and the UK before settling down to do some private tutoring. As a voracious reader, I have many books waiting in line for me to read. Tell me I shouldn't read something, and I will. I'm a happy, optimistic person and I love to travel and through that believe that life can be a continuous learning experience. I'm looking forward to traveling more some day. I enjoy walking, cycling, water aerobics & and sports like tennis, volleyball, and fastpitch/baseball. I'm just getting into photography as a hobby and I'm enjoying learning all the bits and bobs of my digital camera. My family is everything to me and I'm delighted to be the mother of two girls and the Gramma of a boy and a girl. I may be a Gramma, but I'm at heart just a girl who wants to have fun.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

O is for OPTICAL ILLUSIONS

They say timing is everything, but some photographs become brilliant or hilarious because both the timing and the angle work out just right. Sometimes this means catching people or objects lined up perfectly at the ideal moment. Other times these are staged for maximum effect.  Check out this photo to the right that I found online - looks like a two-headed zebra, but in actual fact it's two zebras one behind the other. Gives you a start at first, doesn't it? This is an optical illusion.

Eyes function as cameras that send a picture to your brain through the optical nerve. Your brain "prints" the picture and allows you to envision the object your eyes observed. Optical illusions are achieved by messing up the signal between the eyes and the brain. An optical illusion is the difference between what you expect to see and what is actually there.

You can mimic optical illusions with your camera by taking photographs where the timing and angle works out just right OR you can create optical illusions by working with your photographs and layering them together to distort reality. With the help of natural elements, unique composition, color, light and even photo editing software, you can create works of art that confuse the mind and trick the eye.

I'm still working on how to do this with Photoshop Elements, but here are some photos I found online that illustrate optical illusions. (from here)





Did you notice with the last photo that you can "see" the man's face both full face forward or in profile?  If not, go back and look...it's kind of odd.

Hope you enjoyed this little introduction to optical illusions.  And I promise that as soon as I learn how to do it, I'll post some of my own.

Before I go, I must remember to give Oppulent thanks again to Mrs. Nesbitt for creating and persevering with the Official ABC Wednesday site.  She and her team of assistants are Open-minded (although some of us (me) may be a bit Odd) and will Organize their lives to Oversee your posts and Offer Original and Objective Observations.  To join in, click here.

31 comments:

Roger Owen Green said...

Love these. Peiple are always "posing" with large, well-known items such as the Capitol or the Eiffel Tower.

Powell River Books said...

Looks like the push me - pull you from Dr. Dolittle. - Margy

Shrinky said...

I found that last one a bit unsettling, in a creepy kind of way! I love what you can do on photoshop, it's opened a whole new world of possibilities, hasn't it? I am excited to see what you've got in mind for us once you master the tecniques you're after. The trouble with photoshop, is it is like falling down a black hole, as it can suck you in there to play, and you may never come up for breath..(grin)

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

I like the zebra one best!

EG CameraGirl said...

Optical illusions are wonderful but I bet very hard to create.

Carver said...

Optical illusions can be outlandish. Outstanding post for O day. Carver, ABC Wed. Team

Meryl said...

Very cool. Good luck experimenting with your own. I have no doubt you will succeed brilliantly, and look forward to seeing the results.

Lisa said...

This Is. Fabulous! I LOLed at the first photo, and did need to go back and look closer at the last one. What a great post for optical illusions.

Reader Wil said...

Beautiful and funny, Leslie! Thanks for your comment on my blog. I also learn from comments.
Have a great week!
Wil, ABC Team.

photowannabe said...

Terrific post today, Leslie.
Love the gymnast with no head. Thanks for my morning smile.

Anonymous said...

fabulous post. really funny.

Black Jack's Carol said...

Hi Leslie,

All of your examples of optical illusion were fascinating. I have just joined a photography club and have a new interest in photoshop, so this was a particularly apt post. I loved the idea of holding the moon, or having the strength to tilt without toppling a building. The zebra was mesmerizing and I had to look at the man's face again to catch the double view. All in all, great learning and lots of fun here.

Thanks also for your encouraging comment on my first ABC post. It was much appreciated!

Paula Scott Molokai Girl Studio said...

Most certainly another fascinating and educational post! Looking forward to what you come up with by way of optical illusions!

Anonymous said...

great pix. i like the zebra best too

organize

Penelope Notes said...

Funny how sometimes my mind’s eye fails to notice some oddity through the lens of a camera until I see the picture later. There are times when a plant seems to be shooting out of a pot that is actually a person’s head. :)

Hildred said...

wonderful choice for O, Leslie, - your optical illusions are quite fascinating. I am still intrigued with the athlete and must go back and look at it from different perspectives.

Hazel said...

It will probably take me time to 'solve' the dancer and the guy on the last photo, but always fun these optical illusions are. My fave is the zebra.

Chubskulit Rose said...

That last photo fooled me hahaha.

O is for....
Rose, ABC Wednesday Team

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

when I was 15 in the photography club, we were encouraged to do the one "capturing " an object. My son learn too, and he captured me.

ChrisJ said...

I have a book somewhere showing all kinds of art and photography of optical illusions. I shall have to hunt it up and see if you are familiar with it. I don't even remember the title now.Great topic for 'O'.

Anonymous said...

Great O post!

Arthur Schenck said...

Great choice for "O"! I liked the gymnast one best—that probably means I'm a bitOdd, too.

Ania said...

Thank you or visiting my blog :) So many O's in your tekst :) Great :)

Joy said...

Some great examples, its a great thing to play around with. I managed to take two horses with blankets on like the zebra photo, nice when things come together.

sush said...

Really brilliant post:-) And fantastic examples.
Cheers
Sush

Mildred said...

Great entry!
Love these optical illusions!
Thanks for sharing. And thanks for visiting and taking the time to comment;o)

***
Have a great day****

Gattina said...

Wow ! that's amazing ! very good idea for O !

Martha said...

How fun. There have been Kodak moments I've missed because I left my camera home, or perhaps I was in a place where snapping pictures would have been deemed inappropriate, like the time I looked across the aisle at church and it appeared a husband was wearing his wife's hair.

nancygrayce said...

I'm catching up today! I love optical illusions and find as I age, my eyes scan over words and I sometimes read the wrong thing! For example......today I was reading something about the University of Autism! At least that's what I thought it said until I did a double take and saw it was actually the University of Austin! I wonder how often I miss the right message by doing that!

I really need to learn how to use my big girl camera!

KM said...

The gymnast shot is my fave :D

Late visit for ABC Wednesday ^^

Liz Hinds said...

Now that one of the man holding the mirror had me really confused!!