Superhero Photo Challenge: Find a face in an unlikely place

For the first Superhero Photo Challenge, I decided to go with a classic. One of my favorite things to do is to find faces in food, in clouds, in the cottage cheese of the ceiling. There is a very particular delight (childlike and brimming with magic) that I get from making discoveries like this.

I also really like the metaphor of it, the idea that we find what we put our attention on, or that the world is a manifestation of our thoughts. If you are looking for the bad and the ugly, you will surely find it. If you are looking for beauty you will find that too. For me, carrying a camera is my little beauty seeking device.

The capture in this theme I am most proud of is cheese dog, the St. Bernard I found in the gorgonzola of my salad a couple of years ago. I felt strangely attached to him after parading my plate around the entire dinner party. "Cheese dog!" we all exclaimed with glee. "He is so cute!" "What are we going to do with him? You can't eat him!" (He was eventually photographed then eaten)

Your first Superhero Photo Challenge is to find a face in an unlikely place. When you put on this lens to view the world, you will start seeing them everywhere. I look forward to seeing what you find! (For this challenge and for future challenges, just comment on the post and include the static link of your photo to share with all of us what you’ve found)

Comments

[Shutter Sisters]

Love this! Off to search for smiley faces. :)

[Tracey Clark]

I am sooo excited to start your challenges Andrea. Wheeeee!

[mel from freak parade]

Cheese dog is (well, was) awesome. :)
I am excited to participate in these challenges. Here is mine....It's not the most artistic photo in the world, but it is a face.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/muckyyuck/2222103429/

[sarah]

What a wonderfully inspiring idea. I hope to learn a lot from your collective expertise and look forward to some creative fun. As an independent designer, help with detailed photos of product is always useful. Thanks for the site! cheers.

[Mrs. Eaves/M-O Photo]

What a great idea! Smiles can be found everywhere.

http://camerashy.atomictumor.com/smile-cleaning-is-fun/

[Kerstin]

Hi Andrea,

I remember the cheese dog! I always had to think of it whenever I was in our bathroom and looked at the tumbled lime stone because there was one spot that looked like a little Bavarian man climbing up a mountain! I can't believe I never captured that before we moved out. So I'll be on the lookout this week! On a totally different note here is another idea for the future perhaps: finding the alphabet in nature and around you. I started it here http://www.flickr.com/photos/kcmartin/sets/72157594504410978/ but I am still missing a lot of letters.

I love shutter sisters, so glad you all got together for this :)

Take care,
Kerstin

[Maki]

Fun Challenge! Here's my entry, http://inmy-element.blogspot.com/2008/01/find-face-in-unlikely-place.html

[Beer Momma]

Hi. I'm new to the blogging world and happened to come across this great site. Thanks for starting it as I'm loving everything it stands for...Woman empowerment, Love, Sisterhood, Art and many other things....Ack! I just love it.

Anyway, I'm only a mommy blogger but I thought I'd share my little Walnut-Man. Cheers!

http://weheartbeer.blogspot.com/2008/01/finding-face-in-unlikely-place.html

[Amy Komar]

I love this Andrea! Looking forward to your next challenge . . .

http://adventuresinfirewalking.blogspot.com/

*
ak

[Amy Komar]

Love it and looking forward to the next challenge. . .
http://adventuresinfirewalking.blogspot.com/

[Geninne]

How fun! Here´s mine:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/geninne/2224551034/

Hugs!

[Jill]

Here's my ketchup and relish face. I swear we didn't "arrange" anything!!

[Jill]

Here's my ketchup and relish face. I swear we didn't "arrange" anything!!

http://mjbillingtonquebec.blogspot.com/2008/01/lets-face-it.html

[LLD]

Everyone did such a great job at this challenge! Very fun and unique faces found by all.

Here is mine: <a href="http://whatitdonb.blogspot.com/2008/01/find-face-in-unlikely-place.html</a>

[LLD]

http://whatitdonb.blogspot.com/2008/01/find-face-in-unlikely-place.html

oops! - let's try this link...

[Lindsey]

Loved the assignment! I was tickled artichoke green when I found my little friend at A.G. Ferrari's!

[simply]

http://bp2.blogger.com/_A1Xbjk4uEks/R31O2zgMRLI/AAAAAAAAB7w/41RMz3vXsuw/s1600-h/smile.jpg

How fun...here is mine..."the smiling toast"

~simply~

[heathre]

Here's a sidewalk face...and I'm looking forward to future challenges!

http://heathreb.blogspot.com/2008/01/superhero-photo-challenge-1.html

[SusieJ]

What a GREAT SITE!! It feels cozy... like a home. I love the challenge... never thought of this one before...but we'll keep our eyes open.

[nikkipolani]

Mine should be up shortly.
http://nikkipolani.wordpress.com/2008/01/27/unlikely-place/

[Lynsey Evangelista]

Found this last year in on the beach - needless to say, it spoke to me.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7898099@N07/2225326371/

[jeanne]

Found the link to your blog in Ali Edward's newsletter. Great shots and I look forward to trying your challenges.

[karla k]

here's my submission! a man with two faces!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/karlasfotos/2140458473/

[Karen G]

I love this challenge!

I always see two eyes staring at me in this shot:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23132596@N07/2226571864/

[jeanine]

What a great challenge! The other day, I was most surprised to find a bucktoothed screaming mouth (with tongue) in my red pepper when I cut it in half. Here's the link http://www.flickr.com/photos/15607464@N03/2174570971/in/set-72157603665822286/

[carolb]

Oh! I have two for this challenge! I like the sad faces the best, though.

Sad - http://www.flickr.com/photos/carolbrowne/1452611097/

Happy - http://www.flickr.com/photos/carolbrowne/1453476538/in/photostream/

[jenijen]

I have an incredible crush on this site -- thank you so much for creating it.

Here's the face that I found this morning in my front yard
Blog -- http://notcalmdotcom.typepad.com/snap/2008/01/face.html
Flickr -- http://tinyurl.com/348kfy

[Anali]

Hi Andrea!

I love your challenge! It's so funny, because in a post I did last month, I noticed a smiling cookie and pointed it out in the post! I hope this is okay for the challenge. Here is the link.

http://analisfirstamendment.blogspot.com/2007/12/sugar-butter-eggs-oh-my.html

[Enthusiastically Human]

love looking for faces, or running into them on accident...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/basuel/2225053786/

[leslie]

E.T. phone home...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lesophiephoto/389250780
:)

[Happy Little Atom]

Faces, faces, I love faces! I have a kerzillion of 'em...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15206047@N00/2227942814/

[Sherri Jackson]

This little guy live in the pier at Coney Island:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lasadh/359252652/

[Mandy]

A Happy Starfish.....
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mandaroo/1617712761/in/set-72157602496424186/
By the way, did you know this phenomena is called pareidolia? I just came across this term the other day, and it keeps coming up in different places.

From wikipedia:
describes a psychological phenomenon involving a vague and random stimulus (often an image or sound) being perceived as significant. Common examples include images of animals or faces in clouds, the man in the moon, and hidden messages on records played in reverse.

I think it's really interesting to learn about, particularly with the religious images that people percieve in places (Jesus on the toast, jesus on a door, etc....)

[Mandy]

Oh! Check this out.....I just found a pareidolia group on flickr....lots of cool face images!!!
http://www.flickr.com/groups/pareidolia/pool/
(I know, I'm a geek!!!)

[amber @ A sahm's musings]

My first challenge. What a fun one!

http://www.amberandstephen.com/amber/?p=361

[Andrea]

Love this challenge! It's something that comes easily to me! I've been finding faces in spaces ever since I was a kid!

Here's one that's been staring at me for days...

http://imacharmschooldropout.blogspot.com/2008/01/find-face-in-unlikely-place.html

[j]

My husband was trying to cheer me up - and he did, but not in the way he imagined he would. He was very confused when I took out my camera.

http://smallcrookednose.blogspot.com/2008/01/dont-worry-be-happy.html

[Heather]

Well, this one is just plain silly but I thought it was fun because it's so common...almost everybody has one...and the poor little guy looks so worried all the time!

http://youhavemyword.blogspot.com/2008/01/find-face-in-unlikely-place.html

[Ginna]

Here's a very late submission! I love the idea, thanks for letting us all participate.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ginnahendricks/2231070480/

[kristin]

better late than never. here is my hidden face in one of my favorite places, the nape of my son's neck, a little face in his birthmark.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14811117@N02/2230576271/in/photostream/

[claude]

Great, I love this assignment! I do this quite often and it's always fun.
so here is my face, it's part of the canalisation/pavement (don't know the word for it) - and since I've discovered it, I can't believe that I didn't see it before. I mean, it's almost everywhere in Germany on the streets -- how can one overlook these?

http://www.digitalefrische.de/blog/

[Vivienne]

here's my offering!

www.flickr.com/photos/missvivienne/2231978626/in/photostream/

it even had a mouth...but i thought i'd turn it into a smile!

[D'Andrea]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dandreabowie/2231262711/

We had a rare mild day where it rained all day melting snow. Stuck inside, drinking a glass of water I noticed it was looking a little melancholy as well.

[jill]

here's mine called non-conformity :o)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chinita_jill/2197812231/

[kirsten]

here's mine! a flickr friend found it for me in a photo I posted this week.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/iheartnewyork/2230198482/

[Tori]

Here is mine!!!

http://gettingit-tori.blogspot.com/2008/01/face-in-my-butter.html

[Sheri]

hee hee. here's mine: http://todayispretty.wordpress.com/2008/02/02/751/

[Josie]

Today after reading this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/greenspandex/2242729385/

A few weeks ago: http://www.flickr.com/photos/greenspandex/2194978139

[Jill]

Since finding this challenge, my kids have been on the alert for faces. I hear "Mom, look a face!" almost every day.

My oldest found this face in a black-eyed pea!

http://mjbillingtonquebec.blogspot.com/2008/02/who-needs-childrens-museum.html