Photographer Flips Photo to Reveal Incredible Illusion Hiding in Plain Sight

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With just a simple flip of a photo, the world can change. Sports filmmaker Kevin Wolf recently showcased this visual magic while enjoying the tranquil scenery in California’s Yosemite National Park. He snapped a picture of a gorgeous landscape that features the majestic mountains and golden forest as it’s perfectly mirrored into the surrounding lake. Though the sky is nearly cloudless, the sand underneath the water creates a dark speckled-blue backdrop in its reflection. Does it look like anything familiar?

It’s this variation in water where the illusion takes place. Wolf realized that if you flip this picture upside down, it goes from a sunny day scene to a dramatic nighttime image, and the lake suddenly looks like a breathtaking starry sky. Thanks to its crisp reflection, the photo looks just as believable—and even more incredible— than it does right-side up.

Here's the original photo:

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Here it is flipped over:

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Kevin took a few more beautiful Yosemite photos:

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Kevin Wolf: Website | Instagram | Facebook
via [Design You Trust]

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled "Embroidered Life" that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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