In Your Face

No offense, but if you don’t look at the sky and see rabbits and fish and dinosaurs and genitals and funny faces then I don’t think I want to look at the sky with you.

Seeing things in other things is called pareidolia and according to Merriam-Webster, the dictionary folks, pareidolia is, “the tendency to perceive a specific, often meaningful, image in a random or ambiguous visual patter.” I love pareidolia (does that mean I’m a pareidoliaist or pareidoliant?) and I’m constantly looking for things in other things. Finding and taking pictures of faces in objects – the picture I took of the horse I found in a splatter of bird poop on the sidewalk notwithstanding – is one of the most interesting things for me to find and photograph, so I was naturally excited when I saw this week’s photo prompt from WordPress’ The Daily Prompt.

Sadly, a Japanese study last year concluded that the phenomenon is associated more with neurotic people but that’s a topic for a different blog. Right now it’s time to face the photos – –

Here are faces in good old fashioned russet potatoes. In the first one you’ll see a reflective, melancholy face looking out at you with puppy-dog eyes. This little guy wants to smile in an effort to coax you into adding him to your grocery cart, but he’s a little shy and he doesn’t want to appear overly anxious. The second picture on the bottom is a little more ominous. While you may focus on the long-faced, tired-looking potato at the top, a quick peek at the potato on the bottom right will reveal a demonic-looking, snake-faced potato with small white fangs just waiting to take your fingers off at the first knuckle if you try and grab him and make him part of your dinner.

Did you hear about the potato who was afraid to jump into the pot of boiling water? He was a hesitater.

Go here to see other responses to the prompt:
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/face/