Have you ever take a pic and then been astounded by how it came out?
Here are 50 times people snapped an ordinary photo and it came out anything but ordinary. The perfect lighting, fog in the air, or even a pose can bring a photo back hundreds of years.
Are you ready to go back in time?
Check out these photos. You’re about to enter the Renaissance.
#1 The cat
Have you ever had that moment when you realize that photo you have of your cat is a perfect Rembrandt? This guy’s owner has.


Source:
openminded_skeptic via Reddit
#2 As he walks away
Cats are a favorite on the internet. Why wouldn’t they make it into our modern accidental Renaissance art as well? This one looks like he’s making a lazy escape after getting a belly full of that cheese.
Source:
hueftenspeck via Reddit
#3 At the table
These musicians in Greece remind us of another time. The photo captures it impeccably.
Source:
WeeShirtOn via Reddit
#4 Timeless Spain
This modern photo was captured in Spain during a celebration of traditions. The horses really root it back in history.
Source:
laceandhoney via Reddit
#5 The metro Mona Lisa
You know when you meet someone, and they seem familiar? We know exactly why this woman gives everyone that feeling.
Source:
daft-punker via Reddit
#6 Timeless moment
The scene may be modern, but her expression could find its way into any place in time. When and where a table can be found, look for her face.
Source:
watsin-aname via Reddit
#7 The pomegranates
The placement of the fruit, the woman, and even the tiling of the floor bring this image together. The detail of the material is reminiscent of the work Renaissance artists often put into recreating fabric with paint.
Source:
jacobyh7 via Reddit
#8 A portrait
This image recreates so much of what portrait art was during the Renaissance period. It brings so much more meaning to a simple commute.
Source:
mike_pants via Reddit
#9 An autumn scene
The coloring of this image creates the impression of a painting. Even the rocks in the corner form together to mimic a painter’s signature.
Source:
thare via Reddit
#10 Poultry in time
These chickens have been forever captured in one perfect moment. The beams of light highlight their motion and form entirely.
Source:
rattechnology via Reddit
#11 In the park
This moment in nature is saturated with green. It’s as if a painter’s brush worked to bring the color to every aspect of the scenery.
Source:
bad_bart via Reddit
#12 The prayer
This monk is praying for a man who died suddenly while waiting for a train in China. Even with the throng of people behind him, his focus is on the deceased.
Source:
milsyway via Reddit
#13 Pre-revolutionary
This carefully taken photograph captures the essence of an earlier time and painting style. Would you know that it was created in modern times?
Source:
gibgod via Reddit
#14 The paint
If anyone knows how to pose like a model from another century, it is this cat. He is the real spirit in the photograph.
Source:
Ktai_Arteron via Reddit
#15 Heading home
There’s a bond between the cat and his owner that reaches out through the screen. It makes the image timeless.
Source:
kartofun69 via Reddit
#16 The fireman
The smoke makes this image almost uncannily Renaissance. It also gives it a painted look that would be hard to capture in any other circumstance.
Source:
fubr2k2 via Reddir
#17 More to the scenery
Many painters have included little extra details and stories in the backgrounds of their artworks. Look for the tight rope walker in this modern masterpiece.
Source:
frznxs via Reddit
#18 Oranges through glass
This might veer more towards Impressionist than Renaissance, but it’s hard not to include. The light and color through the glass truly makes it look like a painting that has stood the test of time.
Source:
mikeleus via Reddit
#19 Girl carrying lamb
With all of our modern technology, moments like this are almost lost to time itself. This image is from Iceland’s volcanic eruption in 2010.
Source:
takemedady via Reddit
#20 That godlike moment
We always knew cats were the true creators. Right?
Source:
Plastic_Mouldsman via Reddit
#21 Timeless selfie
Even a selfie doesn’t detract from this accidental masterpiece. The photo captures the essence of stillness and light we’ve come to know from Renaissance paintings.
Source:
Reddit
#22 Giving thanks
The cat patiently looks over the feast in this quaint setting. The earthy colors ground the scene.
Source:
enemies-everywhere via Reddit
#23 A moment in time
This quickly snapped photo ended up coming out like a painstakingly detailed painting. The lighting, the dog, and even the fabric all came together perfectly. That this pup has now passed on only makes it more poignant.
Source:
awheelz84 via Reddit
#24 Traditional and contemporary
The horse looks like he could have come from an old painting. Only the modern clothing of the crowd lets us know what century this photograph was taken in.
Source:
wytwomy via Reddit
#25 Captured sky
This stunning photograph captures what painters throughout the centuries have painstakingly worked to recreate. It almost feels like cheating to obtain it with a camera.
Source:
juvenile_rogue via Reddit
#26 A prayer
A little boy in prayer (or just hiding his face) creates a moment that carries through the ages.
Source:
cramzable via Reddit
#27 The lobby crashers
These guys stayed in the hotel lobby much longer than necessary. Somehow, the photo probably creates a more idealized image than the reality, but that’s the magic of the camera.
Source:
Martendeparten via Reddit
#28 The breakfast
There’s a certain amount of realism and weight in this photograph. It definitely could have come from an earlier time.
Source:
piconet-2 via Reddit
#29 Maybe not quite Socrates
Socrates is lecturing in the baths…sort of. Okay, this one might actually be a failed attempt at art.
Source:
tvops via Imgur
#30 Through the glass
In the later Renaissance, darker and richer colors became iconic. This coffee shop scene brings them back to life.
Source:
Kingof Harts32 via Reddit
#31 Portrait
It’s a modern party, and yet the pose is exceptionally Renaissance. Sometimes, the lighting and pose are just right.
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j-r-w via Reddit
#32 Friendships
Comradery is an essential part of the human experience. Capturing it in any age is essential.
Source:
TheRose80 via Reddit
#33 Lighting of the lanterns
They used to light the gas lanterns each night. We have our own version of that.
Source:
angeelah via Reddit
#34 The signing
This wedding license signed on a bar has a certain unique look to it. It tells its own story.
Source:
bmhorn81 via Reddit
#35 Preparing the feast
Maybe it’s smoke more than anything that signifies the Renaissance era. This simple scene creates a magic moment.
Source:
GonzoVeritas via Reddit
#36 The sleep
Every painter should have a restful scene. Here’s our choice.
Source:
Reddit
#37 Friends together
Friends are true throughout the ages. The technology may have changed a little…
Source:
god669 via Reddit
#38 Flowers
This really is reminiscent of Renaissance art. The costumes bring it to life.
Source:
beka_targaryen via Reddit
#39 Dividing of the spoils
There is something that never changes. The victors always enjoy their spoils.
Source:
Reddit
#40 As old as time
This veteran is old enough to have seen the better part of a century himself. Maybe he carried some of an earlier time through life with him.
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omgspacerussia via Reddit
#41 The baker
Baking bread is something that has been with us since the beginning of civilization. Of course, it makes it into our art.
Source:
DyslexicSquirrel via Reddit
#42 The fair
This is a modern fair. The costumes just happen to be a bit old fashioned.
Source:
jotwing13 via Reddit
#43 The monk
This is a modern monk. They don’t seem to have changed much over the centuries. Even the beard is perfect.
Source:
mtkeepsrolling
#44 The clown
Every scene needs a clown. Here’s a small one.
Source:
ComicRustle via Reddit
#45 Serving
Pouring from a jug doesn’t change with time. The jug itself may change.
Source:
watsin_aname via Reddit
#46 Jesus on the couch
Religious art is nothing new. Here’s the modern version.
#47 Ready for the day
The rooster greats the morning and the camera.
#48 Music even in battle
This image is of a Russian soldier playing a piano that had been abandoned in Chechnya. Even in the rubble, music remains.
Source:
ultralightdick via Reddit
#49 Nuns in the field
This image is a little out of the ordinary. It also has an eternal aspect to it.
Source:
alterego_001 via Reddit
#50 An unsung hero
This is Stanislav Petrov, known to some as the man who prevented World War III. Yet the photo shows so many of the simple aspects of life, including the dog curled up on a chair in the background.
Source:
m_Th via Reddit
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