It’s amazing what you’ll notice when you open your eyes and view the world from a different perspective. That’s what these people found out. Their comparison photos examining the differences and similarities between things will blow your mind.
By looking at two items beside one another, they made some pretty fascinating realizations. Sometimes, it has to do with landscape changes across different seasons. Other times, it is related to people. For example, the mom who matched her face up with her daughter’s and realized that they were pretty much identical twins.
In the moment, one might never notice these sorts of things, but viewing the photos side by side helps to provide contrast and prime our minds for new realizations. Once you see the images for yourself, you’ll understand what we mean.
1. Seasonal Weather
This sign can be found at a ski resort in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The photos show what it looks like in the summer versus the winter. It makes you appreciate how much snow they really get out there.
2. Road Trip Vibes
The first photo is what the dog looks like on the way to the lake. The second photo is what he looks like on the car ride home. He is completely exhausted after a long day of playing!
3. Exploring The World
The giant ship in the back belongs to Chinese explorer Zheng. At the same time he was out sailing the world, so was Christopher Columbus. Columbus’s tiny ship named Santa Maria can be seen in the front. The difference between the two is astounding.
4. Flower Paintings
This photo shows four different paintings made by each of the mom’s four kids. Upon turning five years old, the mom had each of them paint the same sunflower. Each of the kids represented the flower very differently.
5. Types Of Neighbors
This slide from a university class describes the differences between urban, suburban, and rural living. We never thought of our environment in the context of public nudity like this professor did, but there is definitely some truth to his arguments.
6. Autumn Leaves
These pictures were only taken one week apart. It’s amazing how fast the leaves can change in the fall. They went from light green to a brilliant red within seven short days.
7. Family Bonding
The top photo shows the dog’s expression when he was first adopted back in 2012. Now, years later, he is like a completely different dog. He is so much happier and full of energy.
8. Student Becomes Teacher
The boy has gotten a lot older, but he still has the same goofy grin. On the left is him on his first day of primary school. The image on right is him on his last day of teacher training.
9. Beating Cancer
Noah started as a cancer patient. Now he is a cancer survivor. It brings us so much joy to see him healthy again, and the whole time, his beautiful smile never changed.
10. Mom Vs. Daughter
“I did a half face comparison of myself and my daughter today, it’s kind of freaky,” explains the mom. The similarities are striking. The facial features between the mom and daughter line up perfectly.
11. Smart Dolphin
We always knew that dolphins were incredibly intelligent, but seeing a dolphin’s brain compared a shark’s is especially illuminating. It’s one of the most interesting science museum exhibits that we’ve ever seen.
12. Bird Vision
We often forget that different species’ eyes work differently. For example, birds can see ultraviolet light, while humans can’t. Many parts of their life are much more colorful than ours.
13. Berlin At Night
This is an image of Berlin, Germany viewed from space at night. Before the fall of the Berlin Wall, each half of the city used a different type of lightbulb. It’s been over 25 years and the difference is still visible.
14. Giant Vehicles
Want to know how big the trucks really are at quarries? Look no further than this photo. There is a full-sized school bus driving by the machines. It looks miniature in comparison.
15. Modern Gaming
Video game graphics have changed a lot over the years. Just have a look at the differences in these popular games. The originals are insanely simple compared to the newer versions.
16. War Vs. Peace
Here is a then and now photo from World War II taken on the same street 72 years later. There were soldiers and tanks running around the dusty alleys during the war, but looking at the area now, you would never guess.
17. Tiny Technology
This is the world’s smallest computer sitting next to a grain of rice. If you were to look at the computer with your naked eye, it would be barely visible. That’s how incredibly complex computer technology is getting these days.
18. Wealth Of The Church
Here we have a “side by side comparison of the papal thrones for Benedict XVI and Francis”. One is very luxurious and the other is not. Both pictures were taken on the day that the men were appointed pope.
19. Day And Night
On the left is Barcelona, Spain in the daytime. It is lined up with a photo of the same part of the city at night. It’s pretty cool. The nighttime shot looks like the city is on fire.
20. Two Wolfdogs
Wolfdogs have a lot of variation based on the percent of each species that they have in their genome. One is 98% wolf, while the other is only 40%. The 98% one looks a lot more mangy and wild.
21. Smoke Stains
The apartment on the left has smokers living in it. The blinds are completely stained yellow from the cigarettes. The apartment on the right is filled with non-smokers.
22. Modern Vs. Heirloom Seeds
Human domestication of plants is really having a big effect on the plants’ properties. The first tomato is a modern one. The second was grown from 150-year-old seeds. It is a tomato in its natural state.
23. Hello Or Goodbye
The happy face is when the owners are coming home. The sad face is when the owners are leaving. So much of a dog’s mood depends on the presence of the humans that they love.
24. Cigarrette Damage
Here we have another great reason to stop smoking. The ceiling tiles in the smoking room of the airport are disgusting in comparison to the ceiling tiles outside. We can only imagine what smokers’ lungs must look like.
25. Dog Moods
This dog is super fun to be around at the beach. The pup is in her element. However, when she gets home and has to have her feet cleaned, her mood completely changes.
26. Space Fire
The candle on the left is what a normal candle looks like burning on earth. The one on the right is a candle burning in microgravity on the International Space Station. In low gravity environments, the flame doesn’t really rise at all.
27. Tornado Size
This tornado is absolutely enormous. For comparison purposes, just check out the wind turbines. The tornado makes them look like little toothpicks.
28. Winter Flurry In Japan
This is actually just one photo. The photographer caught someone else’s flash in the shot while they were taking it. It made it so the snow only showed up in half of it.
29. Growth Spurt
These two friends are both 13 years old. However, their height couldn’t be more different. The one kid is practically a giant in comparison. It’s obvious that he hit puberty first.
30. Parking Challenges
The first photo was taken in front of a liquor store. The second was taken at an eye surgery center. It turns out, both parking lots are frequently visited by people who have trouble driving safely.
31. Cat Comparison
Different cat breeds can vary a lot in size. For example, here we have a Maine Coon and an American Shorthair cat. The one cat could literally eat the other one.
32. Nap Buddies
These two were photographed while taking a nap together. The photo at the start of the nap is pretty normal. However, as the nap goes on, they both get more and more comfortable.
33. Real Lion King
The movie playing on the television is the new and improved Lion King film. The man holds up his cat to emulate the scene. It’s the real-life version.
34. 1990 To 2019
In 1990, every electronic item had one purpose. Now, almost 30 years later, all you need is a smartphone. A smartphone has all of the capabilities of the old devices and more packed into one tiny pocket-sized device.
35. Dream Date
The photo on the left was taken on the woman’s wedding day. The photo on the right is when she met famous actor Rob Lowe. There is a big difference in her excitement levels.
36. Texas Longhorn
This photographer took a photo of the same bull five years apart. It’s at a ranch that he visits in Texas. The bull has grown a lot over the years, but it’s still happily grazing away.
37. Peregrine Falcon Vs. B-2 Bomber
The B-2 Bomber design was based on the shape of the Peregrine Falcon. The aerodynamic properties of the bird were modeled in the aircraft. It’s crazy how similar they look.
38. Fun On The Slide
These pictures clearly illustrate the difference between moms and dads. The mom accompanies the toddler the whole way down the slide. The dad simply races to catch up.
39. Fall Colors
This maple tree totally transformed in just eleven days. That’s all it took to go from green to orange. Isn’t nature amazing?
40. Climate Change
The first image shows what the Arctic polar region used looked like. The second shows the same spot 103 years later. The ice caps and snow have all but disappeared.
41. Deep Tracks
This family has two skinny cats and one fat one. They let all three of them run around outside in the snow. Can you tell which tracks belong to the fat cat?
42. Chalk Prices
At Target, a pack of twelve pieces of chalk is being sold for 99 cents. At the college bookstore, it is priced at almost twelve dollars. That is one dollar per piece of chalk!
43. Fluffy Or Not
The one Corgi is very fluffy. The other has a smoother shorter-haired coat. It just goes to show that even within the same breed, dogs can be very different.
44. Tide Changes
You definitely wouldn’t want to leave your boat sitting around all day at this dock. When the tide goes out, the scenery looks very different. The two photos were taken twelve hours apart.
45. Primate Features
This photo shows a human skeleton compared to a gorilla skeleton. They are surprisingly similar. Although, there are plenty of interesting differences as well.
46. Genetic Anomaly
This father and son photo proves that genetics isn’t always a clear cut thing. Just because your dad is short doesn’t mean you are going to be short, and vice versa. There are a lot of factors.
47. Marine Environment
This person lives next to the ocean. The difference between the doorknob on the outside of their home versus the inside is pretty shocking. Saltwater is highly corrosive and ends up in the air and rain.
48. Players Vs. Cheerleaders
The women on the outside of the photo are women’s basketball players. In between them are the team’s cheerleaders. The height difference between the two groups is unbelievable.
49. Big Talons
This photo is fascinating. It shows the different claw sizes of various types of animal. The most interesting part is how harpy eagle claws are almost as big as the bear claws.
50. Foot X-Rays
In this comparison, we see an elephant foot versus a human foot. It’s pretty surprising. The elephants actually have bones like we do. However, they are buried deep underneath many layers of soft cartilage.
51. Microscopic Comparisons
This is what a bee stinger and needle look like under a microscope. The needle is fatter and more pointed. The bee stinger is much more slender with a serrated edge.
52. Drinking Habits
This is “the difference between 31 and 21,” explains the woman. She is still sober and functioning on her night out, while the younger woman is lying on the ground next to the toilet vomiting.
53. Magic Water
This person was fascinated by the glass of water that they poured. They filled up the bottom of the glass with tap water. Then poured sparkling water on top. The two liquids stayed separated.
54. Big Celebrities
Dwayne Johnson is 6’4″ and weighs 260 pounds. We’ve always considered him to be a very big and muscular man but just look at him next to Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal. He doesn’t even compare.
55. Modern Warfare
On the left is what Norwegian soldiers looked like 75 years ago. On the right is what they look like now. They went from a jacket, a hood, and a handgun to full-on tactical gear.
56. Street Lights
In this photo, we can see the massive difference between types of light bulbs. On the left, the streetlights use new LEDs, whereas, on the right, they are the old kind.
57. 100 Meter Monster
Here we have a sign comparing Japan’s highest bridge to the height of Godzilla. It is a weird comparison to make, but also hilarious. We think that all heights should be measured in comparison to Godzilla.
58. Morning Weather
This is what the lake in Michigan looks like at 9:00 am versus 11:00 am. The fog rolls in thick and heavy in the morning. You can’t see anything, but just a few hours later, it’s like it never happened.
59. Hurricane Damage
After hurricane Florence hit a few years ago, the damage was immense. Just have a look at this before and after picture of a street in Surf City, North Carolina. The surrounding landscape and roads basically didn’t exist afterward.
60. Wild Weather
The weather changes quickly in Utah. That’s what these images show. One day, everything is completely covered in snow, and the next, it is completely melted off. It’s pretty crazy.
61. Odd Couple
Here is a photo of the husband’s jeans next to the wife’s jeans. The two of them are a very awkward match. He is 6’3″ and she is 5’2″.
62. Gender Stereotypes
In Girls’ Life magazine, all they talk about is hair, fashion, and beauty. In Boy’s Life magazine, it’s more about career planning and science. It’s certainly a big difference.
63. Star Gazing
“Whenever somebody posts a photo of the Milky Way, people invariably ask ‘is that how you see it with the naked eye?’. Here’s a representation of what you do see compared to what comes out of the camera,” the photographer explains. The moral of the story is that the night sky is best viewed in person!
64. Valentine’s Plans
These two shoppers are about to experience two very different nights. The single man will be feasting on chicken and drinking whiskey for Valentine’s day, while the other shopper will be celebrating it with a loving partner.
65. Amazing Earth
It’s hard to fathom how big the earth is, but this image does a great job at providing some points of reference. It shows all of the earth’s water and air condensed into balls and placed next to our giant planet.
66. Three Toes
This one is a comparison between a Tyrannosaurus Rex foot and an emu foot. The dinosaur’s foot is a lot bigger, but structurally, they look about the same. Birds are closely related to the ancient reptiles.
67. Old Stairs
The set of stairs that is crumbling was built out of stones in 1829. The nicer set was built in 2005 from cement. We can clearly see how things have changed over time.
68. The Tiny Titanic
In the front, we can see the Titanic. In its heyday, it was celebrated for its incredible size. Yet, it is just a fraction of the size of the modern cruise ships today. Behind the Titanic is a picture of the largest cruise ship that currently exists.
69. California Fires
On the top is a photo of a normal day in California. On the bottom is what the same view looks like when all of the wildfires are burning. The recent fires in the state are a huge cause for concern.
70. Tire Variations
Michelin makes a lot of different sizes of tires. Some are even larger than people are. For example, here is their biggest tire placed next to their smallest tire.
71. Cellphone Technology
Motorola flip phones used to be all the rage back in the 90s and early 2000s. This one was crafted in 1998. The current smartphones make the old ones look so primitive.
72. Small Vs. Medium
This photo shows the volume difference of a small versus a medium orange juice at McDonald’s. The most interesting part? There is essentially no difference…
73. Door Choices
These door handles show how many right-handed people there are at the school compared to left-handed people. The door on the right gets a lot more use. Although, part of that is because it is also a social norm to enter through the right.
74. Population Density
This diagram shows “Russia and Bangladesh’s sizes compared to their population”. Bangladesh actually has more people living in the country than Russia. However, its total land area is tiny in comparison.
75. Jedi Expenses
There is a giant market for toy lightsabers and the quality varies significantly. On the left is a lightsaber that costs $10. On the right is one that costs $400.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
Article Sources:
To learn more read our Editorial Standards.