They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, some incredible images are so astounding that a thousand questions bubble to the surface of our thoughts the moment we see them. In the 21st century, one of the first questions usually is: “Was this photoshopped?”
Whether you think that Photoshop should never be used for photo editing or you believe that it’s an inseparable part of a photographer’s existence in the digital age, the fact is, more and more pictures are being post-processed than ever before. Simply because of how easily accessible cameras and editing software is nowadays. However, once in a blue moon some very intriguing, once in a lifetime photos pop out from the woodwork. Beautiful photos that look photoshopped, but that aren’t.
We love collecting stunning eye-candy for you to gaze at all day long. And today’s no exception. We’ve gathered the finest examples of stunning pictures that definitely weren’t photoshopped. Grab a cup of tea, coffee, or cocoa, get your scrolling finger ready, and enjoy what our team of hard-working Pandas prepared for you. Upvote your favorite photos, share this post with your buddies, and let us know in the comments what you think of each picture. And check out our previous posts about incredible photos that weren’t photoshopped right here and here.
Scroll down for We’s exclusive and in-depth interview with professional photographer Anna Chii about the ‘morality’ of editing pictures, her take on ‘all-natural’ photos, her philosophy of photography, what clients usually expect, as well as the importance of trust between a photographer and their clients.
#1 My Friend Just Got This Once In A Lifetime Picture
#2 The Water Also Looks Like An Elephant
#3 Landscape Perfectly Divided By The Rails Of A Fence
Whether it’s a house almost completely blending into the sky, a dog covered with Holi powder that looks like it’s on fire, or a highway that seems to extend into the heavens, some pictures, especially those with perfect timing, are able to addle, befuddle, and confuse our senses without needing even a byte of editing software.
Anna Chii talked to We about photography, photo-editing, as well as what she thinks of ‘all-natural’ pictures. We started off by asking Anna, who has worked with portraits for many years now, to go into detail about how much she and other photographers use editing software to alter pictures.
“Often when people hear the word “Photoshop,” they imagine Instagram girls which make their faces unrecognizable by “photoshopping” them and think that Photoshop is used just for that. Actually, people mistake it with other apps like “Facetune.” Photoshop is a software package for working with digital imagery and is used not only for photography but also for design, video editing, photo manipulations and more,” Anna gave a run down of the basics.
She then continued: “When we talk about photography, there is no single proven way of using this software when it comes to editing pictures. Every single photographer or retoucher has his or her own style, way of editing, or set of skills used for making the best photos possible. That’s why photoshopped pictures can look wildly differently: from waxy or plastic faces to an absolutely natural look. From drastic changes in face or body features to just color corrections. From creating a fantasy world around your subject to simply removing unwanted objects from the background.”
#4 A Forest Service Worker Photographed A Fire Burning Inside A Tree While He’s Fighting Western N.C. Wildfires
#5 The Golden Rays Of The Sunset Entered The Cave At Just The Right Angle To Light Up This Section Of Ice, Making It Look Like Amber
#6 Halfway Sunset
“From personal experience, after many years of learning and experimenting, shooting takes the least amount of time in comparison to the other parts of the process — planning and retouching,” Anna revealed. “I mostly take portraits. Usually, my clients are not professional models with heavy makeup, which covers all of their imperfections and barely requires any retouching. My models are people who want to have lovely pictures of themselves, who want to portray their lives and experience fun time while freezing those moments – without pressure or fear of being imperfect.”
According to Anna, she retouches her pictures every single time. “I do believe that my clients need to get the best result they can get. And making a regular picture great requires not only taking pictures correctly from a technical point of view, but also adding some magic to each and every one of them.”
“And it’s not about changing features, or making people look perfect and not representative of the way they look in real life,” she went on. “It’s about the small details, which make the photo stand out without making it look unrealistic. It’s about colors and lighting. About mood. Every person that I shoot has their own story and a unique aura. I want to make my pictures reflect the feeling I get when being with the person and share it throughout the final image. And it can take from half an hour to a couple of hours per image. Depends on the emotion I want to portray in the final picture.”
#7 Me And My Girlfriend Were Walking In The Woods The Other Week And Saw A Rainbow Pool For The First Time
#8 This Spot On I-80 In Wyoming Is Known As The Highway To Heaven
#9 My Drive In To Work This Morning (I-90 In The Berkshire Mountains, MA)
Anna the photographer also talked to We about how ‘all-natural’ pictures can compete with heavily photoshopped images. “We need to define what kind of photography we are talking about and what are “heavily photoshopped” pictures. If we are talking about portraits, I do believe that If you have a great team (assistant, makeup artist, hairdresser, stylist), you have a beautiful location with the lighting set up correctly, you have a model with clear skin and everything is under your control, then you can take really good pictures and editing could be almost unnecessary.”
“But usually, you don’t have all the people and props which could help to create a great image. When you work alone, sometimes mistakes slip past the cracks as you need to cover many areas during the photo shoot,” she noted that everyone makes mistakes and that no photographer is perfect.
“For me, Photoshop is not about changing the person in the picture, but about enhancing the quality of the picture. Correcting shadows and lighting, enhancing colors, correcting small details like wrinkles on clothes or makeup makes a huge difference. It can be done with the help of professionals — makeup artists, assistants, stylists. Before and during the shoot they will correct makeup, clothes, hair, hold a reflector for better light. And it can also be done during post-production in Photoshop. Almost the same result, simply a different way of achieving it. Producing a quality photograph requires time and effort. So Photoshop is not an easy way to get beautiful pictures with just a few clicks of a mouse.”
#10 Perfect Timing
#11 This Window That Makes My Back Yard Look Like It’s In 4 Different Seasons
#12 My Boy Climbing An Old Rotten Tree Stump Looks Like A Giant Climbing Mountains
What’s more, We was interested to hear what Anna thinks of photography purists who detest any use of editing software and want everything to be ‘natural.’ According to her, a lot depends on an individual’s perspective and how they perceive the purpose of a specific picture.
“The purpose of a picture can be very different. Photos are like a form of art, images for advertising, family pictures, nature, product posters and many other genres. All of them serve a different purpose. The viewer should also have critical thinking while looking at the images and understand the nuance and the nature of the photos in question.”
“People have different beliefs on every subject possible. Some think girls with makeup are unnatural, some think it makes them prettier and more feminine. Same goes for photography. I think it’s a really lovely thing to have something you do like as well as something you don’t like about the final images.”
The photographer continued: “If you like pictures without Photoshop and want to have a photo shoot for yourself — that’s great. Find a photographer that takes “natural pictures” and hire her/him. And yet, I don’t believe that, if they are professionals, they will give you a photo without any (at least slight) retouching. Maybe the picture will look natural, but will it really be, is a different question (unless all a photographer cares about is to get the money and get rid of the client as fast as possible).”
#13 Rosie Caught The Sunlight Just Right. She Was Sitting At The Curb Edge With The Sun Setting Just Under The Car. One Hell Of A Cool Effect
#14 The Pole In This Picture Makes It Look Like Two Different Pictures
#15 The Dog Is Covered With Holi Powder, Looks Like He’s On Fire
“As time passes in your photography journey, you want to take better pictures and improve the quality of your work. And for that you need to learn new techniques. And get new skills. Including Photoshop. I think, if a photographer has good Photoshop skills, it’s only a plus,” Anna said without any reservations.
“But you can’t produce good photographs if you can’t take good photographs. Photoshop won’t help you create a good picture out of a terrible shot. If you don’t know how to use Photoshop, probably it will end up being the opposite. You can make a picture even worse than it was before. But if the photograph itself is good, then Photoshop can enhance it and make it a little bit better in a different way — depends on the goal.”
“I believe that the best way to get natural, unretouched picture is to shoot on good old film. Film cameras take lovely pictures. And it’s so fun to make. I would say, film cameras have a certain magic about them,” Anna exclaimed that sometimes old cameras are the best. “After all, it’s all about your preferences. There is no good or bad photography. There are just the photos which you like and the ones you don’t. Remember, you are the one who chooses the photographer for your own photo shoot. So talk with a potential photographer, look at his/her work and decide if the style, mood, colors, outcome, attitude are the ones you would like to see in your pictures. And trust. Trust and believe in your photographer.”
Never miss a story that brings joy to the world. Follow on Google News
#16 6 Years Ago I Posted My Wife’s Eye That Her Doctor Told Her Was The Weirdest He’d Ever Seen. Since Then My Photography’s Improved Quite A Bit, So Here’s A New Pic I Took A Couple Days Ago
#17 In Cute Cat News, My Mom Put Up An Easter Decal On Our Front Door And It Makes Gigi Look Like A Dr. Seuss Character
#18 This Black Car Looks Like A Mirror After Being Washed
The Wall Street Journal writes that social media and editing tools have altered the landscape of photojournalism. Sometimes, people are accused of digital manipulation even if the picture is genuine and unaltered. For example, when Tamina-Florentine Zuch won an international contest with a picture of a woman in the open door of a Mumbai train, some online critics accused her of having composited the image and doctoring the photos.
The use of Photoshop and other digital editing programs has been compared, by some, to doping in sports competitions. Some recent photography contests have been tarred by accusations of cheating and using digital tools to enhance photos in order to snag top prizes. It’s a good thing that not all accusations are true and that there are plenty of pictures that look so amazing that people think they’re photoshopped.
#19 This Photographer Was Probably Excited
#20 The Black-And-White Costume Was The Best One I Have Ever Seen. No Masking… Honest
#21 These Burnout Marks Look 3D
#22 This Photo From Inside A Tent Looks Like Photoshop Trick
#23 The Way My Closet Separates This Light
#24 This Viaduct In South England, UK
#25 The Frost On The Fence This Morning
#26 This Cow Eating Grass
#27 Very Clear Water In Sweden
#28 World’s Tallest Tram
#29 Perfectly Timed
#30 The Rain Turned Our Yard Into A Van Gogh Painting
#31 Wasp On The Water Surface
#32 This Falling Clock That Took The Wall With It
#33 These Teacups Look Like They Have Little Holes In Them
#34 Hundreds Of Thousands Of Starlings Migrating Across The Region Covered The Skies Of Rome Making It Appear Like TV Static
#35 Russia Hasn’t Got Anything On The Monterrey Stadium In Mexico
#36 We Recently Had A Storm In Germany
#37 This Unicorn Picture Is Different In The Mirror
#38 The Way My Cup Broke
#39 Waterfowl Lake In Banff National Park, Alberta / Canada
#40 The Paint On This Building Is The Same Shade As The Sky
#41 The Reflection Of The Light On My Coffee Looks Like A Glowing Castle
#42 Standing In A Huge Pond That Sinks Every Dry Season
#43 This Photo I Took Of Fog Over A Lake Makes This Warning Sign Look Like It Is Surrounded By Nothingness
#44 Levitating Horse
#45 Simple Yet Creative
#46 Changing Seasons Got Me Seeing Red
#47 Every Morning Right Before Sunrise, The Highrise Across From Me Looks Like This
#48 Space Needle In Seattle Over Clouds Looks Like The Cloud City From Star Wars
#49 Dude, He Is Floating!
#50 Flower I Came Across While Hiking
#51 This Flower Looks Like Deep Space
#52 The Way This Picture Of A Frozen Puddle In My Backyard Looks Like A Landscape From The Perspective Of A Plane
#53 This Pic Of London Looks Like It Should Be A Video
#54 This Picture I Took Of Two Swans That Looks Like One Swan With A Smaller Second Head
#55 Architecture Of Norway. These Small Houses Named Rorbuer Have Been Adapted To Meet Norwegian Climatic Conditions, Including: Harsh Winters, High Winds And, In Coastal Areas, Salt Spray. They Even Carry Mountains
#56 Sunrise Today In Texas
#57 Tree In The Napa Wildfire, Taken By My Buddy
#58 A Hole To Heaven
#59 Reflection Of Steering Wheel Looks Like Planet With Artificial Ring
#60 This Lisianthus Mutated To Be Half Purple And Half White
#61 Iowa Children’s Hospital
#62 Water Droplets On The Tips Of Rose Bush Leaves
#63 This Pic Of My Friends Catch Today Looks Like A Bad Photoshop Job
#64 This Picture Of My Cat Looks Like He Is Floating
#65 An Incredibly Lucky Shot, This Is Not Edited. 30 Seconds Sooner Or Later I Would’ve Missed It
#66 I, For One, Welcome Our New Baboon Overlords
#67 Caught Someone Else’s Camera Flash When Taking This Photo Of Snow Falling At Ginzan Onsen
#68 A 2D Building I Found In Amsterdam
#69 A Small Gap In The Clouds Allowed The Sun To Catch A Small Island Off The Coast During A Stormy Day In Mallorca, Spain
#70 This Picture Of A Car Bumper Taken After A Car Crash Looks Like It Belongs To Car Coming From Another Dimension
#71 Atlas Moth
#72 My Lamp Is Projecting Its Own Lightbulb
#73 So It Snowed On The Cabbage Field
#74 This Fire Looks Like A Pheonix
#75 My Friend Had A Bug On His Windshield That Made Him Look Like A Godzilla Monster
#76 This Purple/Pink Sky At The Hotel I Am Staying
#77 This Tree I Saw Today Looks Like It Didn’t Render Correctly
#78 Noticed That A Cloud Behind My Girlfriend Looked Like A Though Bubble
#79 Sealion Beheaded And On Display For The World To See
#80 Butterfleye Effect
#81 This Wood Dust Makes My Arm Look Like Dry, Cracked Dirt
#82 Mother Of Surreal!
#83 This Shadow That Perfectly Lined Up With The Light Pole
#84 This Cloud Looks Like A Ufo
#85 This Blue Fungus Growing On A Dead Branch
#86 Girlfriend Took A Pic That Made It Look Like I Was Trapped In The Concrete
#87 Fresh Snow On Frozen Lake
#88 It’s Fall Out Of One Of My Windows, Winter Out The Other
#89 This Is Egmont National Park, A Protected Area In New Zealand. To Prevent Agriculture From Ruining The Mountainside, Construction Is Prohibited In A Radius Around The Peak Of Mount Taranaki
#90 This Is Magic!
#91 Reflection Of Tunnel In Mirrored Sunglasses
#92 The Water Reflecting Off Our Old Trampoline Makes It Look Invisible
#93 This Weirdly Oriented Picture Looks Like Escher Stairs
#94 Photo I Took Of The Charles River Looks Like Two Different Pictures
#95 This Spider Web That Looks Like A Spider-Man Mask
#96 The Way This Dust Settled On My Arm Hair Makes It Look Like A Rug
#97 Steel Cup Looks Transparent Inside This Bowl
#98 Perfect Lines
#99 Lens Flare In This Picture I Took Looks Like It Beams A Poor Scottish Sheep To An Alien Spaceship
#100 My Picture Of Today’s Sunset Looks Like It Is From GTA
#101 Found Crystal Clear Ice Chunk In Alaska River Bed
#102 This Building Looks Like It Had A Rendering Error
#103 The Way The Vents Are Oriented Makes It Look Like Mirror Symmetry Is Broken
#104 This Woman Seems As If She’s A Giant Lounging In The Ocean On A Large Mountain
#105 Abandoned Apartment Building Being Claimed By The Sea In The Former Fishing Village Of Kirovsky, Russia
#106 Straight Ladder Has A Crooked Shadow
#107 Ice Sheet Holding Onto Trees After Flood Subsides
#108 My Friends Look Like Giants
#109 Best Beer Mat Ever. Deceiving! Found In Austria (Obviously)
#110 The Road Less Travelled
#111 This Storm Front Turned The Sky Green
#112 That Should Do It
#113 The Shine On This Filing Cabinet Makes It Look Like It’s Fading Away
#114 The Way My Remote Looks Like It Was Badly Photoshopped Into The Picture
#115 This Photo Looks Like Somebody Has Poorly Inserted Another Photo Into It
#116 This Photo Of Me Standing Behind A Grill Looks Like I’m On Fire
#117 I First Thought This Was Creepy, But Now Mildly Interesting
#118 The Difference In Lighting Between My Sister’s Room Vs My Room At The Exact Same Time Of Day
#119 This Mirrored Picture
#120 Took This When Half The Sky Was Clear After The Rain. Santiago De Chile
#121 Flat Carpet In A Hotel In Cologne, Germany Imitating A Curvy Surface
#122 The Floating Fisherman
#123 My Friend Looks Like A Giant
#124 This Wall Seems To Have Lost A Dimension
#125 Invisible Skyscraper
#126 I Used My 3D Printer To Violate The Laws Of Physics Today
#127 When Sunlight Hits The Snow On My Windows It Looks Like I Live On The Ocean Floor
#128 This Mirror Makes It Look Like The Entire Bathroom Is In The Tub
#129 This Thing Connecting Two Buildings In South Beach Miami
#130 No Photoshop. Just Makeup
#131 The Reflection On This Coin Makes It Look Transparent
#132 This Picture Taken At Lunch Today Makes My Salad Look Photoshopped In
#133 This Triangle Blackhole Created By The Shadow Under An Information Stand
#134 This Building On My Street Looks Two-Dimensional From A Certain Angle
#135 I Polished Some Marble Tonight And A Side Looks As If It Was Missing
#136 The Clouds Kinda Just Stopped
#137 This Guy Looking Down At His Phone Looks Headless From Behind
#138 The Way The Snow Melted In My University’s Courtyard Makes The Floor Look Like A Video Game
#139 From This Angle, This Building Looks Flat
#140 The Carpet At This Airport Looks Like An Aerial View Of The Ground From The Window Of An Airplane
#141 Waxing Level 9000
#142 The Water Line On These Trees After A Flooding
#143 A Power Plant And A Soccer Match Split Screen
#144 The Way This Tissue Box Looks Invisible
#145 This Garage Looks Fake
#146 Not Photoshopped. It Actually Came Out Like This
