Photos That Get Infinitely Better The Closer You Look

A picture says a thousand words, but sometimes when you’re taking those photos you end up with a little more than you bargained for. Thanks to the people in the background you might end up with a photo that says a lot more than just a thousand measly words.

From accidental photobombing to celebrity sightings, the advantage of having people constantly taking pictures in this world is we end up with lots of funny photos to laugh at — even when we don’t intend to.

But Did He Stop To Say Hi Afterwards?

Nothing seems more on-brand for Nicholas Cage than a quick photo while out at the store.

photo for nicholas cage
Photo Credit: Reddit / Der_Ist
Photo Credit: Reddit / Der_Ist

At least whoever was taking the photo got to appreciate the moment when it happened!

A New Kind Of Man Bun

Though it may look fashionable in the photo, it turns out this guy had a more of a “man bun” than anyone realized.

a bun made out of man
Photo Credit: Reddit / nivek564
Photo Credit: Reddit / nivek564

One strategically placed man can make a good vacay pic.

Plotting His Revenge

The trouble with having multiple pets is that you only have so many hands, and sometimes your pets are going to get jealous of one another which is definitely what this poor sad boy in the background is feeling.

dog watching other in the background
Photo Credit: Reddit / nurseratchet86
Photo Credit: Reddit / nurseratchet86

He deserves love too!

Strike A Pose

Women always get to take fun photos like this with their friends when they go on vacation and the man in the water saw his opportunity to finally get to be apart of it too.

man making shot of girls better
Photo Credit: Reddit / reddiholix
Photo Credit: Reddit / reddiholix

You work it king.

That’s Not Formal Attire

It’s nice that someone offered to take a picture of him in his suit for whatever event he was going to, but it probably also would’ve been nice if that person had been fully-dressed himself.

smile for the photo half dressed person
Photo Credit: Reddit / gamer6663
Photo Credit: Reddit / gamer6663

This just screams, dad getting woken up in the middle of a nap and being asked to take a picture.

Fire In The Hole!

I guarantee that whoever owns these kids was less than pleased to find their children stuffing one of their siblings into a cannon at a historical site.

cannon boy being loaded by siblings
Photo Credit: Reddit / CerealKiller64
Photo Credit: Reddit / CerealKiller64

At least the kids got the moment memorialized forever in another tourist’s photo!

Taking A Break From Pirating

The infamous, uncatchable Captain Jack Sparrow is still roaming the seven seas.

captain jack sparrow
Photo Credit: Imgur / invadero
Photo Credit: Imgur / invadero

Thanks to his freedom he was able to take in a quick Baltimore Orioles game in his spare time.

Where’s Waldo?

Not sure why this photo was included? There’s supposed to be seven family members in this photo, but one person seems to have gotten the short end of the stick.

family photo against his will
Photo Credit: Imgur / overcookedonion
Photo Credit: Imgur / overcookedonion

It might take you a little longer to find him.

Lying In Wait

The moment comes in every cat’s life when they’re given the perfect opportunity for destruction.

cat under the curtain looking at the flowers
Photo Credit: Reddit / catch22milo
Photo Credit: Reddit / catch22milo

You don’t want to mess up that moment so you have to wait until the absolute right time to knock over the flower vase.

She Made The Photo Better

There’s always that one sibling that ruins all the family photos and fun candids but in this case, she’s not that sibling.

pool photobomb of a sibling
Photo Credit: Imgur
Photo Credit: Imgur

This girl is making the photo much better for her siblings.

Why Did The Chicken Cross The Lawn?

While the groom may think his brother ruined the wedding photos, we think his brother and his lack of chicken-chasing skills.

chicken loose in the background
Photo Credit: Reddit / da_purp_rolla
Photo Credit: Reddit / da_purp_rolla

They definitely improved the regular ol’ wedding portraits the groom would’ve had.

She’s On Her Own Magic Ride

While these two are busy taking photos, they don’t even realize that there’s a girl in need of a magic carpet ride to save her before she tumbles down the stairs.

girl falling down stairs at a party
Photo Credit: Reddit / KosherKittens
Photo Credit: Reddit / KosherKittens

I can’t show her the world but I can point her in the direction of a hospital.

Your Secret Is Safe With Us

Okay, look we’re not sure why it happened but it did, and clearly no one else noticed or minded other than the person taking the photo, so the goat is getting the education he deserves.

goat student in the lecture
Photo Credit: Reddit / dyakobian
Photo Credit: Reddit / dyakobian

He’s well on his way to his baaaa-chelor degree.

You Hurt Elmo’s Feelings

It’s always exciting to see your childhood heroes in public, like this man who ran into Woody from Toy Story in Times Square.

devastated elmo in the background
Photo Credit: Reddit / kazaamx
Photo Credit: Reddit / kazaamx

But we should never stop to think about how the rest of our heroes feel.

There Can Only Be One Family Pet

While most members of the family are thrilled about the puppy being the newest addition to the household, there’s one family member who is less than pleased.

new puppy that the cat isn't happy about
Photo Credit: Reddit / theNick_C
Photo Credit: Reddit / theNick_C

Their displeasure was evident in this photo.

A Thing Of Beauty

People always talk about what majestic creatures horses are, and sure, that’s true but also everyone has a bad angle and the horse in the background wanted you to know they can’t look perfect all the time.

horses are majestic creaturesP
Photo Credit: Reddit / A_fish_called_tiger
Photo Credit: Reddit / A_fish_called_tiger

That, and the fence is apparently delicious.

Eat Your Salad And Be Sad

That moment when someone is trying to get a cute candid photo of the bride and groom but instead they catch you having an existential crisis about how you’re going to be alone forever.

CMojNh-UcAAKrYA
Photo Credit: Twitter / @PhillyD
Photo Credit: Twitter / @PhillyD

This is me at any wedding.

Your Time Will Come Soon

With the help of his father, one little brother managed to ruin (or improve?) his older brother’s first day of school photo.

first day of school jealousy from brother
Photo Credit: Reddit / tie_game
Photo Credit: Reddit / tie_game

He really just wants to know where his Pinterestesque chalkboard is.

Maybe Buy Her A Regular Piano Instead

Don’t buy this toy for your daughter unless you want her to turn into a demon that’s able to see her reflection in the mirror even though she’s looking the other way.

piano dresser demon little girl
Photo Credit: Reddit / xlLeviathanlx
Photo Credit: Reddit / xlLeviathanlx

That’s the only takeaway here.

Blink And You’ll Miss It

Who doesn’t want to look like they’ve been possessed in their prom photos?

girl blinking silver eye shadow scare
Photo Credit: Twitter / @davidreymundo
Photo Credit: Twitter / @davidreymundo

Blinking in a photo is one thing, but the silver eye shadow did not do her any favors in this photo.

Take A Whiff

A super unfortunate moment to have been caught on camera for the man in the background.

take a whiff of that
Photo Credit: Reddit / tookerder
Photo Credit: Reddit / tookerder

But the men in the foreground will have a great Insta photo to post from the event.

Sharing Is Caring

That look you get when you think the waiter is bringing the food to your table but then they take it to a table full of people who arrived after you.

whatcha got there boy looking at dessert
Photo Credit: Reddit / woody1130
Photo Credit: Reddit / woody1130

Give that poor kid a spoonful while he waits!

Dinner Is Served

Was the beluga whale trying to make friends or was he trying to get himself a snack before dinner?

perfect timing beluga whale and child
Photo Credit: Reddit
Photo Credit: Reddit

Lucky for these parents the glass is pretty solid so they won’t have to find out.

Surf’s Up!

The poor guy not only failed miserably at surfing, but now his claim to fame is because he failed miserably and someone managed to catch it on camera.

surfs up
Photo Credit: Reddit
Photo Credit: Reddit

This wasn’t what the Beach Boys imagined when they wrote Surf’s Up.

The Goodest Student

Look, he’s just here trying to get the participation marks like every other student in there.

education  trying to learn
Photo Credit: Imgur / theloudlaugh
Photo Credit: Imgur / theloudlaugh

Treat him like any other student in the lecture, but also give him some treats if you have any on hand.

She Didn’t Make The Squad With Those Moves

Never practice your cheerleading skills while people are taking pictures unless you’re positive you can nail that power pose on top of the pyramid.

cheerleading practice not going well
Photo Credit: Reddit / Get_Stamosed
Photo Credit: Reddit / Get_Stamosed

Otherwise, you just end up head-diving into the ground at the exact moment someone gets photo evidence.

Here Comes The Groomsman

The question is: was there foul play involved here AKA was he thrown from the balcony, or was he just trying to land the perfect cannonball and happened to interrupt this wedding photoshoot?

mid-air photobomb for a wedding shoot
Photo Credit: Reddit / TheSANEG
Photo Credit: Reddit / TheSANEG

Whatever the case, he better not have gotten any water on the bride’s dress.

Family Style Photo

Photobombing someone else’s picture in a public place is always fun. You have to make sure you nail the timing.

family-wide photobomb
Photo Credit: Reddit / jpawli
Photo Credit: Reddit / jpawli

So the fact that these people were able to get their whole family in line in time for the photo is impressive.

It’s Probably His First Time In The Women’s Bathroom

You’re there trying to get that perfect mirror selfie to show off your outfit, but this little boy is in full-blown crisis mode behind you.

background distractionin the mirror selfie
Photo Credit: Reddit / PolarLight
Photo Credit: Reddit / PolarLight

How can you not stop to take his picture instead?

You’re On Candid Camera

Your son may not be happy about you taking his picture in public, but the guy in the background certainly seems to be happy with the cards he’s been dealt, and the meal he’s been given.

background smile guy
Photo Credit: Reddit / mango2407
Photo Credit: Reddit / mango2407

Bon appetit buddy.

It’s Hard To Contain Your Excitement Sometimes

You know when you’re waiting for a package from Amazon or for your friends to come over and you find yourself looking out the window repeatedly?

can't contain their excitement
Photo Credit: Imgur
Photo Credit: Imgur

This guy couldn’t resist doing the same, and someone happened to catch him while trying to take a picture of the festive door.

This Shouldn’t Be A Package Deal

The longer you look at this photo, the more you’re going to realize that whoever bought this game console bundle was seriously ripped off.

gaming products that don't go together
Photo Credit: Reddit / MrQuicksilver
Photo Credit: Reddit / MrQuicksilver

None of it goes together, no matter how badly you want it to.

That’s Not A Parking Spot

Whoever owns this magic carpet better be coming to move it soon, because that is definitely not a parking spot.

floating magic carpet in the street
Photo Credit: Reddit / SuperD0S
Photo Credit: Reddit / SuperD0S

Sure, you can create your own spot when your transportation floats, but the middle of the road isn’t the solution.

Looks Like A Demonic Night, That’s For Sure

When someone tells me they had a crazy night, this is what I’m going to be expecting from now on.

picture of women in club and girl in the background is making a scary face
Photo Credit: Imgur
Photo Credit: Imgur

If there’s not a stranger in the back who may or may not be the victim of a demonic possession then did you even have fun?

Clearly Someone Was Having Fun

Do you see the kid in the background? It was like he had a homing device that alerted him when someone was going to take a nice group photo.

girls posing for a photo and a kid looks wild in the background
Photo Credit: Reddit
Photo Credit: Reddit

Just so he could pull a face and ruin it.

Dive In, The Water Is Warm

At first glance, you might have thought that this was a curly-haired man diving into the water in a strange position, but you’d be mistaken.

sea urchin that looks like man jumpnig in water
Photo Credit: Reddit / danish-pastry
Photo Credit: Reddit / danish-pastry

This woman just wanted to show you her sea urchin.

Dancing On My Own

The only person you can really count on is yourself, and self-love is just as important as the love you give to other people, so you really are your own best choice to take to the dance.

boy dancing with himself
Photo Credit: Reddit / occupyfacebook
Photo Credit: Reddit / occupyfacebook

You go girl.

Her Glasses Aren’t The Only Things Being Checked Out

Now this is just creepy. What a great way to ruin what could’ve been a solid new glasses selfie.

reflection of guy in the mirror checking out woman's behind
Photo Credit: Reddit
Photo Credit: Reddit

Hope this guy got some karma from this downright creepy action.

Are We Missing A Few Legs?

It seemed like a good idea at the time to pose like this with your friends, but your Instagram followers are going to be real quick to point out the fact that the girl in the middle doesn’t have any legs.

three girls taking photo girl with no legs
Photo Credit: Reddit / nbnw64
Photo Credit: Reddit / nbnw64

Mind your own business if people have legs or not.

The Two-Headed Creature

Where did you find this two-headed cat, and are there more to be adopted?

cat with multiple heads
Photo Credit: Reddit / Purrogi
Photo Credit: Reddit / Purrogi

The ratio between the number of heads, paws, and torsos really does not add up for this sleepy kitty.

Bouncing Batman

This family was just trying to enjoy their football match and take a picture in front of the mascot.

twerking batman that's supposed to be a lion
Photo Credit: Reddit / DrFlames2192
Photo Credit: Reddit / DrFlames2192

Later, they realized that this mascot looks a little more like a twerking Batman than they’d originally thought.

Waiting For His Revenge

It doesn’t matter that she only wanted to take a photo with one of her dogs.

dog in background of photo
Photo Credit: Instagram / @9gag
Photo Credit: Instagram / @9gag

Clearly, that decision was not up to her, so he took matters into his own paws.

He’s Along For The Ride

So, not only is this man photobombing their nice family photo, but he also had the audacity to sit on this woman’s back instead of sitting on the bench like a regular person.

gman sitting on woman's back in photo
Photo Credit: Reddit / sammyjay55
Photo Credit: Reddit / sammyjay55

Go get ’em cowboy.