If you’re a photographer—and, let’s be honest, we all are these days—then you know how amazing it feels to be able to nab that shot that’s so good, people will wonder if any Photoshop was involved. Yep, adding a ‘#nofilter’ to your new, exquisite profile pic IS a pretty great feeling!
Because we sure are suckers for extraordinary photography, we’ve scoured the web, on the lookout for some of the most mind-blowing raw shots around. Here are 23 of the best filter-free photos that completely captured our imaginations….
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A view of a snow-capped mountain range through a mirrored ball
This talented photog gives us a whole new view of Alaska.
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The moon becomes a ticking clock
It’s amazing what some well-placed props can create!
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A model stands on the shore of a pink lake
Believe it or not, this Australian lake is naturally pink!
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A man poses against a backdrop of bursting auroras
This dreamy image makes us want to book a ticket to Iceland—stat!
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A fire dancer is encircled by a spinning flame
The perfect example of how magical light can look against total darkness.
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Passengers trudge through a neon lobby
The Detroit Airport has never looked so dreamy!
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NASA’s proud celestial display
A space station captures this colorful shot of Earth’s flamboyant atmosphere.
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Vibrant birdies show off their feathers
A classic example of natural beauty in its purest form.
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Street cat gives us a peek into what she sees
Can you identify some of the objects reflecting off of her eyes?
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An intrepid surfer taunts big waves
Just looking at this photo gives us the heebie-jeebies!
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Skydivers’ ramrod straight descents
A truly out-of-this-world shot!
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A bald eagle lands on placid water
Talk about patriotic!
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Popeye the Sailor Man makes for a truly trippy tattoo
See what we mean?!
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A kaleidoscopic building
We’d love to meet this talented architect!
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Dazzling peacock allures with colorful feathers
A natural technicolor arrangement that boggles the mind.
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A cloud (or two) reflects off of a mirrored skyscraper
OK—is it one cloud or two?
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Trippy walk through an electric blue corridor
This must be the most Instagrammed hallway of all time!
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A view of a coiled snake cake
Turns out this ‘snake’ is completely edible—and extremely delicious!
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Soldiers march in perfect harmony
Now that’s what we call ‘single file’!
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Dew drops cling to a cobweb
An intimate view of a spider’s one-of-a-kind home.
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A long bob that shines yellow
Pop quiz: Does this model have electric locks or just some strategically-placed yellow highlights?
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A Peruvian mountain shows its many colors
Hey—they don’t call it ‘Rainbow Mountain’ for nothing!
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Beautiful twin girls conjoined by a braid
These unique little girls are changing the modeling industry’s standard of beauty.
Photoshop-free photography just doesn’t get any better than that! We’d love to hear your thoughts on these special shots. Which one is your top pick? What are your favorite things to photograph? How often do you re-touch your shots?