Our feeds are filled with predictable pics featuring the polished, perfect, posed aesthetic that have become part of life in the digital-fueled world. That's why it's so refreshing to see some funny photo fails, taken just moments before disaster struck.
They shatter the perspectives we're used to, and inject a dose of raw, messy reality into an otherwise fake existence. These are the types of photographs that feel like they could jump out of the screen and start moving at any second. They have energy, authenticity, pulse, and they make us want to know more.
As photographer Martin Bamford puts it: "When a photo has life, it is because something is unfolding."
What makes the photos on this list come alive is that they aren't merely static pictures. They're tiny pieces of actual experiences, albeit chaotic, that tell a bigger story.
But taking exciting photographs doesn't mean you have to wait around all day for disaster to strike. According to Bamford, most "flat" photos happen because the subject is stuck in “photo mode.”
"They freeze. Their smile becomes a polite mask. Their body locks into a safe position and stays there," he explains. "The life drains out of their face because they are thinking about how they look instead of just existing."
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What you want to capture in your subject is movement, life, reality. Not perfect stillness. But Bamford says light plays a part too.
"Flat, even light can make a photo look sterile. Directional light, with its gentle highlights and shadows, gives shape and texture that mimic how we see the world," writes the photographer. "It tricks the brain into feeling depth, which in turn makes the image feel more like something you could step into."
When it comes to composition, the expert advises against keeping everything perfectly symmetrical and centered, saying this can result in a formal and frozen image.
"Break the symmetry, add a tilt, crop unexpectedly, or leave a little space for the subject’s gaze to travel into," he suggests. "That sense of movement in the frame mirrors the movement in the subject."
Above all, expect the unexpected...
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Kim Bunermann is a photographer, and the news editor of Digital Camera World. With a Master's degree in Photography and Media, she knows a thing or two about the art and science of photography. Bunermann believes that photographic magic happens when preparation meets unpredictability.
"Embracing the unexpected is not just an opportunity – it's a recipe for creating images that inspire awe, no matter the genre," says the expert, adding that unpredictable moments offer something different and unique... something that viewers don't see every day.
Some of the best photographers live for the “unexpected moment.” They turn happy accidents, disasters and chaos into masterpieces.
“I only know how to approach a place by walking," reveals Alex Webb, a renowned photographer and member of the elite Magnum Photos. "For what does a street photographer do but walk and watch and wait and talk, and then watch and wait some more, trying to remain confident that the unexpected, the unknown, or the secret heart of the known awaits just around the corner.”
