Going Up or Going Down?

Martin Clifford sent in this illusion, and I think it’s best to quote him, since he did a great job in explaining it. Here’s What Martin wrote: “Hi, I love your illusion site. The other day I was taking a picture and I thought it looked slightly different than it was. I fooled a couple of people with it and also a couple seen it. Any way, some people thought the dog was coming down the stairs and I was taking the picture from the bottom of the stairs. Its not the bet illusion ever but here it is for you anyway.” Thanks Martin!


90 Replies to “Going Up or Going Down?”

  1. THE DOG IS GOING DOWN BECAUSE IN THE LEFT TOP HAND CORNER YOU CAN SEE THE TOP OF A DOOR WHICH MEENS IT IS GOING DOWN

  2. @ #3. Chic,

    He is definetly going up. For one, that’s barely enough to be able to tell what part of a door it is, even if it IS a door. And also, if you look at the stairs as if the dog is going down, he is in an awkward position. His paws would be planted on the vertical part of the tread. If you look at it as if it were going up, then its paws are in the right position.

  3. You can see that he’s going up, because of the way his ears cast a shadow on the step. Also, if he *was* going down, he’d be about to fall.

  4. Dog is going up. Look at his feet; this dog still has to abide by the laws of physics. I’m amazed that some og you think it’s going down.

  5. he’s going up b/c it would be impossible for him to be standing if he were going down……..but if you were just glancing quickly, he could be going either way

  6. at first glance, it looks like its going down since you’re not looking at the feet, but at further inspection, its obvious its going up.

  7. Definetly going UP. Look at the positions of his feet and the shadow. No way that dog is going down, you can see it is going UP.

  8. If he was going down, then why aren’t his paws on the steps?

    Look closely at where the paws meet the steps. If it was going down, then it’s paws wouldnt be on the steps, but on the vertical part above each.
    (if that makes sense)

  9. CHIC,
    How can it be going down???!!! The dog’s paws are on the risers(vertical part of steps) it it’s going down, but if it’s going up the paws are on the treads(horizontal part of steps). Nothing can defy Newton.

  10. just for CHIC the dog is obviously going up and the “door” could be a clost door or even the top of a picture and look at the dogs feet….by the way you are forgiven for yelling:P

  11. r u all thick??? its obvious its going up because if the dog came down the stairs like that it would fall!!!! god there is so many thickos in the world lol (including me!!!)

  12. the dog is going up the stairs….it was just taken at a weird angle….if he was going down the stairs…how i he ablr to out his feet on the side of the step?!?!?!?

  13. 1st) ITS ADORABLE!
    2nd) I saw it was going up when I looked at it. You can tell by the slope of the stairs on the left side with how the dog is up. Also, the camera is pointed down, not up.

  14. He’s going up. I mean it’s easy to get above a dog that height to get that angle, but get below? I don’t think anyone can do that. Anyhoo, HOW DO YOU GO DOWNSTAIRS LIKE THAT?! I mean come on! You don’t. Also look at the lighting. Wouldn’t it be lighter a tthe bottom if he were going up?

  15. he can’t be going down, the dog is going up and he is at the top of the stairs, the way the dog is bent, there is only one explanation

  16. I knew the dog was going up instantly cos u could tell the dog’s head was closer to the camera and of where the feet were placed. I know why you think the dog is going down, but it is kinda easy.

  17. For all the dolts that think the poor doggy is going down, it’s UP OKAY?? Obviously, the pic was taken on a higher step, not on a lower step or else the dog would’ve been ready to fall. The pic must’ve been taken when the dog was going up? Any arguments?

  18. ok… 4 all u people out there, the dog is obviously going up… u r looking almost straight down @ the puppy!!!

  19. itz obvious that the person took the picture form the top of the stairs and the dog is looking towards the top because dogs cannot stand on the stairs that way if the are coming down!

  20. Going up.

    If he was going down, his paws would be on the vertical part of the steps.

    And that wouldn’t make any sense.

    Obviously.

  21. hes going up, because if he was going down, then he whould of steped on the side of the stair which would cause him to fall and not have enough time to take this cute picture…take a closer look

  22. Bad illusion… I still can’t see how it would look like he is coming down the stairs… At first glance, I thought he was going up the stairs…

  23. ummm… the dog is going down because:
    1) its feet r on the wrong part of the step to b going down
    2)if u read the description, it actually says that the dog is going down

  24. dudes… if it was going down it be standing on the sides of the stair, not the top part, wchich we walk on

  25. i dont know how to explain it but the dog is deffinatly going up the stairs, and i think that the person taking the picture is standnig above the dog looking down. but thats my opinion :)

    1. if you look closely he cant be going down becoz he would be standing on the vertical part of the step not the horizontal part. i think this is kindof dumb becoz its relly obvius

  26. ya anonymous, he HAS to be going up! he would break his neck going down like that! the person probably took the picture from the top of the stairs with his dog looking up. that’s why everyone thinks he’s going down, and door that you see has got to be the front door because there is no way he’s going down!

  27. that bottom of the pic is the top, cuz if it was the bottom of the stairs then he wouldn’t be able to stand like that

  28. Oh my god you guys!!!! it is easy to see hes going up because if he was going down his feet would be in a different position!! look at his feet and you will see

  29. The dog is definatley going up. if he was going down he would be under the stair and would have fallen flat on his face.

  30. IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THE DOG IS GOING UP, IF HE WERE GOING DOWN HE WOULD BE STANDING WITH HIS FEET ON THE RISER INSTEAD OF THE STEP, IMPOSSIBLE

  31. The dog isn’t moving! He’s stopped and is looking at the guy who’s taking the picture. ;)

  32. of course its going up, look at the dog’s legs, if it was going down it would be standing on a vertical surface and would have fallen over by now

  33. If he is going down he must be able to defy to gravity because there is no way that dog could stand like that unless he was going up. If he was going down his paws would be on the horizontal part of the stair, not the vertical part.

  34. CHIC is wrong, that could be a picture frame,he’s going up.:p.+if
    0 he was going down, he
    0 0 couldn’t step on the side:P
    0 0
    0 0 0
    0
    0
    0

  35. Actually the dog seems to be just stood there wagging its tail, thus neither going up nor down! But he is clearly facing up the stairs, and the camera is pointing down at him.

  36. uyer definatly up cause other wise he would be standing on the side of the stairs… its good hehe

  37. Why is everyone saying things about this “door”? Look at the dogs legs – There on the top of the steps (quite obvious to people with half a brain), if the dog was going down, it would fall flat on its face because it would be stood on the side of the step…

  38. the dog is clearly going down. this picture was evidently taken in a low-gravity situation, where the dog was able to pose for a picture while walking down the stairs.

    Seriously. I love it. i don’t care about you weirdos who keep going on and on about where the dog is going/not going, it’s a cool picture and i was fooled for a second too. you all were, clearly. :) smile, and be happy. kudos, Martin Clifford for your photography :)

  39. neighter the dog is going down nore up!! actually it is standing there n staring at the photographer who is standing upstairs and taking the photo from upstairs to downstairs..

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *