There have never been as many cameras in the world as there are right now. However, even with every smartphone having an advanced camera, even with fancy shutter settings, it still isn’t easy to capture a moment at the perfect time.
If your timing is always a little bit off, don’t fret. Use these pics as inspiration.
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There’s always that one klutz.
These little owlets are pretty adorable, with their chonky bodies and big, round eyes. Evidently one of them is still learning to owl. I’m sure it’ll get there eventually.
When your bag fails you.
The person who submitted this says they observed, “I think this bag is about to break,” about a second before this pic was taken. I think they may have jinxed it.
Thumbs up!
There’s no way this kid knew his dad was about to bail when he struck this pose. But somehow, the pose makes this pic all the more hilarious.
Champion of destruction.
This is tennis pro Marat Safin. He’s lifted a few trophies in his career, and I guess this particular trophy decided it was time to show him who’s boss.
Vintage perfect timing.
It was a lot harder to capture the perfect moment on camera back when cameras used film, but here’s an example from 1993 or so. Don’t worry, everyone emerged from this unscathed.
The flash.
To the photographer and the subject, this iguana must have looked like a horizontal green blur. But, thanks to a decent shutter speed, they managed to capture the perfect vacation photo.
Misjudged the jump.
Pets are pretty good when it comes to recognizing their surroundings, but there’s always an adjustment period. This pupper hasn’t been living here for very long, and it really shows.
Carrying the sun.
This photo of a bumblebee appearing to carry the sun is either a one in a million shot, or the work of a photographer who knew exactly what they were going for.
Big breach.
This photo makes me nervous for the photographer, but I’m glad it exists. It’s important to understand scale here: That whale’s nose is probably 30 feet above the surface of the water.
Photobombed.
You could look at this and see a wedding pic that’s been ruined. Then again, you could also look at this and see a wedding photo that’s been improved immeasurably.
Nice selfie.
These photos are my favorite: snaps where the photographer isn’t even aware of the chaos that’s unfolding out of their sight, but well within the frame of the picture.
Sheer panic.
If you’re getting married and think it might be a fun idea to hoist your partner up for a photo, maybe think about whether it’s a good idea. At least make sure you’re not doing it next to a creek.
Bullseye.
This archer was trying to take the perfect shot, but in the end, it was the photographer who wound up getting that perfect shot. Shame about the bow, though.
Seconds from disaster.
Ducks are usually pretty chill, at least compared to geese (which are total jerks). But if you get too close to your local mallard, you might just get bit.
Nom.
Birds can open their mouths weirdly wide. You see this when a bird parent feeds their kids. Apparently, they sometimes use this skill to try to swallow their friends whole.
Slosh.
We’ve all spilled drinks before. Heck, I’d wager that most of us have spilled drinks directly on somebody before. But not many of us have photographic evidence of the second things went horribly wrong.
Objects in mirror sure are closer than they appear.
Even the bird knows it messed up. It has that impending doom expression on, that “oh sh-” look.
The most excruciating of pains.
Taken right after this girl stepped on a Lego, she is now experiencing the highest form of pain known to man. It’s like a rite of passage for humanity.
Jinxed it.
“I can’t believe she never falls in!” This user said they had proclaimed right before this photo was taken. You inflated her ego too much, she got cocky.
A future in modeling.
Even with the scarf blowing in his face, he still looks pretty cool, and that’s a rare trait to have!
Timber!
I’m glad he’s protecting his head. With the size of these blocks, they look like they could cause some serious damage.
Race day.
Apparently a kid was trying to cross the track during a longboard race and, well, you can see what happened. I blame the kid for this one. Crossing any track during any race sounds like a bad idea.
Hubris.
The uploader posted this caption: ‘My dad just after being on a skimboard for 1 second after proclaiming ‘I’d bet twenty dollars I can stay on the board for, like, a minute!'” I guess someone was $20 richer.
A minor poke.
I can already hear the sound of that kid’s scream in reaction to this. Or maybe that’s a kid outside my apartment, hold on—
Teeter totter topple.
Yeah, I think there’s a reason why these things are built for kids. Only kids.
Hose ’em down.
You can see the kid realizing just how much power he has in his hands at that moment.
Calm before the crash.
In a split second, this wall of water will crash down and soak everybody in the picture. But, at this precise millisecond, it’s a vertical wall, suspended in the air.
Hang ten.
The photographer in the frame, and the person who took this pic, are both about to get demolished by this perfect wave in Hawaii. Honestly, it’s probably worth it for the pic.
Lunchtime.
It’s easy to forget that starfish are living, breathing creatures. In fact, they’re downright murder machines around the right kind of prey. That’s a lesson that this anchovy learned the hard way.
Fire in the frizz.
If you’ve ever had your hair catch fire, you get it. First there’s a fire near your hair. Then there’s a brief moment of blissful unawareness. The next second, you’re engulfed in flames.
