By Vurdlak on August 22, 2006, with 192 Comments
I’ll let Charlie Tyack explain this illusion by himself! This is what he wrote: “Hi there, I thought I might submit these photos in case you would like to stick them on your blog. It’s me and my pal Paul pretending to levitate whilst dressed as conspicuous spies at Duxford Air Museum in the UK. If you do put it on, please link to my website: www.charlietyack.com Thanks!”
Can you solve how this illusions were done? Second picture is inside this post, just click on the title to jump inside this article.
(18 votes)
lame
I went to school with these two and was on that trip with them. Quite simple really, they just jumped and we took the shot at the right time. The one of Charlie is the better of the two, but when you look at Paul it’s obvious from his posture that he’s mid jump. We weren’t clever enough to do it any other way and others have suggested.
LOOOL “Only someone with terrible eyesight could think they were not touching the ground!”
only a no brainer could not realize that the shadows don’t match if they were STANDING. ridiculous idiot. brain usage beats eyesight by far lol
BOO!
They are look like photoshoped because there is no shadow on the ground.
ok all u morons.. cant u see the shadow??? its a dead givaway that theyre jumping!
if they were standing there shadow would meet there feet, they’re obviously jumping. no camera tricks or illusions.
wow, you people are stupid.
the people are standing reallly far back and it makes the other people look big like me lol xxxxxxxx
no no no you are all really cose but here soulotion:
ok its all the shadow.Really.No lying.The truth
lyes withen you .Vurdlack,am i right about the shadows?
If you cover up the shadow with your finger, it appears that the subjects are standing on firm ground. When you see the apparent shadow, it appears the subjects are levitated.
I think it’s more likely they were caught jumping than that the shadow was doctored.
Check it out. They’re jumping. The first fellow’s coat creases in on his legs and around his hands in his pockets. If the wind were blowing, wouldn’t his scarf blowing? Go jump in a trench coat, you’ll see.
Second dude. Obvious jump. The left pant leg is flared towards the camera and flat against his skin. His other pant leg is not, it is flaring outwards. The way the fabric rolls is obvious that it was caused by a sudden downward force. Like jumping. Plus he looks a bit scared. He’s too tense and awkward to just be ‘levitating’.
Last. The pictures have the word ‘jump’ in them. Srsly?
Btw, you just been CSI’d
they are jumping! you can see their shadows are further away from them than they would be if they were just standing! Thes second guys feet look like is in the air also!
As someone pointed out before, they are not jumping or anything, it’s not even a real picture. It’s photoshoped.
Please look at their shadows, they have none.
Just cover there shadow.
You will just see them standing on the ground.
ffs you dumb arses, they are jumping!
the shadow proves they are not on the ground
the shadow also proves the ground is not curved, if it is the shadow will be curved too
Ok lets settle one thing. whatever else may be true, they are absolutely not standing on the ground. Look at there shadows. They don’t meet their feet. Your shadow always meets your feet if you are on the ground. that’s just the way it is. It doesn’t matter about angles or size, or perspective. Anything that is on the ground will be toughing it’s shadow. ALWAYS
P.S. even if you cover the shadow it still looks nothing like them standing still. Look at the second guy’s feet. their position does not match the contours of the ground.
They’re jumping. Notice the slightly stressed postures of the 2 men, and the dynamics of the clothes.
Also, notice the shadows of the 2 men in the right bottom side of the men.
They jump, immediately posing like they’re standing normally, but the clothes, posture and shadows give them away.
I don’t get it. It just looks like their standing on the ground with weird poles and a string in the background.
the slabs 2 the the right r lower down than the ones they r stood on u cann see this by the foot in the second pic
They cant be standing; the shadows of the feet are not right next to the feet themselves, but they are disconnected. They might be jumping, but it doesnt look like it. But I might be wrong. Im only 13. :P
I’m not saying that they’re jumping, but their feet are off of the ground. Just look at the shadows
cover the shadows and you will see they are standing… water can make it look like shadow
the second guy is turning his feet up and outwards
I think they jump for the clothes effect,, but for ‘fly’ effect they just use an angel. just saying :D
They are jumping. The illusion lies in how the shot was taken. The photos were shot pretty much the same time they took off, so the final shot captured them in the air before they reached their maximum jump height.
It’s best executed by Natsumi Hayashi (Tokyo’s “Levitating Girl”).
WOW!! that’s effective ;-)
if the light is coming from directly above, then there is no visible shadow. the first doesn’t even look like he is levitating, and the second guy is standing with his feet turned out.
It’s the puddle. It’s really close to the edge, and the guys are standing behind it. The position in which this picture is taken makes it look as if the guys are levitating.
I’m with Tam,.. Puddle :)
Did it ever occur to anyone that are simply standing still? The ‘shadow’ could easily be made by putting some water on the ground.