Nerds Republic

When he’s not working for an advertising agency, photographer Rich McCor is turning the world into a more entertaining place with the help of a few paper cutouts. Placed in front of landmarks, they turn everyday street scenes into charming, witty photos.

McCor got the idea after joining Instagram.

He was tired of taking ordinary photos, so he decided to start a clever Instagram series.

He started adding amusing cutouts to famous scenes and totally transforming them.

Here, the Eiffel Tower is ready for takeoff!

Initially, McCor challenged himself to do ten cutout photos around London, creating different compositions for each one. Coming up with clever ideas was a bit difficult, but the images quickly gained popularity on Instagram.

He also says that the process was extremely fun and rewarding, since he created awesome photos while also learning more about major landmarks and interacting with passersby.

This photo, for example, earned him the praise of a 10-year-old girl.

He can find inspiration in just about anything.

Of course, all of this planning and shooting makes McCor’s vacations a little different from the average traveler’s. “I am probably the worst sort of person to go on holiday with,” he jokes. “I’m constantly taking photos and tracking down ideas.” Still, he enjoys learning about every city he visits. This collection allows him to see popular landmarks from a whole new perspective.

He’s already created a ton of images, but he has no intentions of stopping!

You can see more of McCor’s cutout photos on Instagram, as well as a few more traditional travel pictures.

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You could say that the artwork of Nikolai Tolstyh is collaborative, since he uses the natural beauty around him to color his pieces — and we mean that literally.

Tolstyh cuts out the silhouettes of various animals from white paper, and then hunts down the perfect backdrops to fill them in.

He usually chooses backgrounds that resemble the natural coloring of the animal.

He used fallen leaves to mimic the feathers of this little owl.

Pockmarked wood is reminiscent of this beaver’s favorite pastime.

By placing the outlines over natural backgrounds, Tolstyh invites us to see our surroundings in a totally new way.

The idea is relatively simple, and Tolstyh says that he’s inspired by the beauty of nature, as well as by the practice of turning one thing into something else entirely. “I was inspired by nature,” he says, “and its colors [and] unusual textures. If you use your imagination, you can easily see a fox in [a] yellow bush and [a deer in tree branches].”

Depending on where he holds the paper, the images change in color, texture, and pattern.

The possibilities are endless!

By peering at the world through a cutout, we see things in a whole new light.

Tolstyh’s art challenges us to take stock in things that we normally take for granted.

(via My Modern Met)

You can see more of Tolstyh’s cutouts, as well as plenty of beautiful photos from his walks through nature, on Instagram.

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If you love food and pretty things, then Tal Spiegel’s Instagram account, Desserted in Paris, is about to become your favorite thing on the Internet. Based in Paris, Spiegel is both a pastry chef and a graphic designer.

Not only can he create seriously mouthwatering pastries, but he can also make them look completely gorgeous. The result is one of the most delicious Instagram accounts out there. Here’s a small sampling of his work.

A pistachio-cherry pastry that looks like a flip-flop.

A photo posted by Tal Spiegel (@desserted_in_paris) on Jul 23, 2015 at 2:36am PDT

A gorgeous chocolate design.

A photo posted by Tal Spiegel (@desserted_in_paris) on Jun 3, 2015 at 5:17am PDT

A little lemon sun.

A photo posted by Tal Spiegel (@desserted_in_paris) on Oct 7, 2015 at 11:49pm PDT

A raspberry meringue.

A photo posted by Tal Spiegel (@desserted_in_paris) on Oct 1, 2015 at 1:40am PDT

Another chocolate pastry (because you can never have too many).

A photo posted by Tal Spiegel (@desserted_in_paris) on Oct 4, 2015 at 2:40am PDT

We’re not sure exactly what this one is, but we like it.

A photo posted by Tal Spiegel (@desserted_in_paris) on Sep 30, 2015 at 2:00am PDT

Snapshots of food uploaded to Instagram can get old really fast, but these are too good to be annoying. It’s also kind of cool that his shoes often make it into the shot. Shoes and food are both popular Instagram subjects, after all. Combining them into one picture might sound awful, but Spiegel makes it work.

A lime and strawberry tart.

A photo posted by Tal Spiegel (@desserted_in_paris) on Sep 29, 2015 at 12:03am PDT

Some graphic eclairs.

A photo posted by Tal Spiegel (@desserted_in_paris) on Sep 27, 2015 at 12:30am PDT

We’re glad there’s photo evidence, because they probably taste as good as they look.

A photo posted by Tal Spiegel (@desserted_in_paris) on Sep 24, 2015 at 2:17am PDT

It would be so hard to eat this!

A photo posted by Tal Spiegel (@desserted_in_paris) on Jul 7, 2015 at 1:22am PDT

Pastries don’t have to be bright to be deliciously beautiful, though.

A photo posted by Tal Spiegel (@desserted_in_paris) on Sep 22, 2015 at 2:33am PDT

This one is like a tiny, edible collage.

A photo posted by Tal Spiegel (@desserted_in_paris) on Sep 13, 2015 at 1:00am PDT

We’re the first people to make fun of food photos on social media (even though we’re all admittedly guilty of taking them), but when the food looks this good, we can’t blame anyone for snapping a quick photo.

It looks like modern art, but this is bourbon vanilla buttercream, salted caramel, and praline.

A photo posted by Tal Spiegel (@desserted_in_paris) on Sep 8, 2015 at 1:08am PDT

(via A Plus, Design Taxi)

For your daily dose of drool-inducing aesthetic pleasure, check out the rest of Spiegel’s Instagram, which includes many more images of mouthwatering and beautiful desserts.

While most of us share photos of our food on Instagram, or post those awkward bathroom selfies that flatter no one, artist and graphic designer Jati Putra Pratama does something amazing.

Using various editing programs, the Indonesia-based artist turns everyday scenes of cities and people into dreamlike compositions that ignore the laws of physics in the most beautiful ways possible.

A photo posted by Jati Putra Pratama (@jatiputra) on Oct 2, 2015 at 7:06am PDT

In his photos, Pratama takes familiar images and puts a surreal spin on them.

A photo posted by Jati Putra Pratama (@jatiputra) on Sep 22, 2015 at 6:33am PDT

A photo posted by Jati Putra Pratama (@jatiputra) on Jun 14, 2015 at 10:37am PDT

A photo posted by Jati Putra Pratama (@jatiputra) on Jun 21, 2015 at 3:00am PDT

Many people compare his compositions to the imagery in the film Inception.

A photo posted by Jati Putra Pratama (@jatiputra) on Aug 29, 2015 at 5:47am PDT

A photo posted by Jati Putra Pratama (@jatiputra) on Aug 7, 2015 at 10:51am PDT

A photo posted by Jati Putra Pratama (@jatiputra) on Aug 5, 2015 at 12:41am PDT

Most of Pratama’s images are presented with little text, so it’s up to viewers to draw their own conclusions.

A photo posted by Jati Putra Pratama (@jatiputra) on Aug 3, 2015 at 2:40am PDT

And honestly, coming up with elaborate stories about these photos is half the fun.

A photo posted by Jati Putra Pratama (@jatiputra) on Jul 30, 2015 at 7:45pm PDT

But you could just sit back and enjoy their visual beauty if that’s more your speed.

A photo posted by Jati Putra Pratama (@jatiputra) on Jul 13, 2015 at 5:57am PDT

A photo posted by Jati Putra Pratama (@jatiputra) on Jul 11, 2015 at 11:11am PDT

A photo posted by Jati Putra Pratama (@jatiputra) on Jul 4, 2015 at 10:39am PDT

A photo posted by Jati Putra Pratama (@jatiputra) on Jul 3, 2015 at 5:09am PDT

A photo posted by Jati Putra Pratama (@jatiputra) on Jun 30, 2015 at 9:35am PDT

You can see much more of Pratama’s work on Instagram. If you browse his social media accounts, you’ll also find his illustrations and design projects…as if he weren’t already talented enough, right?

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Where would you like to go on vacation? Probably somewhere nice, and the nicest places have pretty, inviting names. Bora Bora, Amalfi Coast, Barcelona.

…And then there are these places.

Instagram account Sad Topographies is dedicated to finding the places in the world with the worst, weirdest names ever and sharing them with everyone. Using Google Maps as their source material, this account is dedicated to showing you that even though where you live might be boring, it’s not any of these places.

This island probably has a complex now.

Mistake Island, Jonesport, U.S #mistake

A photo posted by @sadtopographies on Sep 20, 2015 at 7:04am PDT

Real estate here must be weird.

Shades of Death road, Great Meadows, U.S. #shadesofdeath

A photo posted by @sadtopographies on Sep 21, 2015 at 2:23am PDT

This lighthouse warns ships of the impending disappointment this coastline offers.

Cape Disappointment, Washington U.S #disappointment

A photo posted by @sadtopographies on Sep 21, 2015 at 12:33pm PDT

Worst. Vacation. Ever.

Slaughter Beach, Delaware, US #slaughter

A photo posted by @sadtopographies on Sep 23, 2015 at 12:28am PDT

We figure there’s a story behind this, but we’re okay not knowing it. Also, whatever you do, don’t click on #bloodydick. Just…don’t.

Bloody Dick Peak, Montana US #bloodydick

A photo posted by @sadtopographies on Sep 23, 2015 at 10:37am PDT

Let’s not go here.

Heartache Rd, East Helena US #heartache

A photo posted by @sadtopographies on Sep 26, 2015 at 10:52am PDT

Let’s definitely not go here.

Murder Island, Argyle, Canada #murder

A photo posted by @sadtopographies on Sep 27, 2015 at 12:05am PDT

Oh no, they’re everywhere.

Sorrow Islands, British Columbia, Canada #sorrow

A photo posted by @sadtopographies on Sep 28, 2015 at 1:03am PDT

What exactly were you expecting?

Disappointment Island, New Zealand #disappointment

A photo posted by @sadtopographies on Sep 29, 2015 at 4:05am PDT

Well, that’s no fun.

Grumpy Dog Rd, Libby, U.S #grumpydog

A photo posted by @sadtopographies on Oct 3, 2015 at 5:31am PDT

Okay, that’s worse.

Dead Dog Island, Killarney, Canada #deaddog

A photo posted by @sadtopographies on Oct 4, 2015 at 3:21am PDT

Don’t fall in.

Crazy Woman Creek, Wyoming, U.S #crazywoman

A photo posted by @sadtopographies on Oct 5, 2015 at 10:54am PDT

You know that if they named it this, its history can’t be good.

Suicide Bridge, Hurlock, U.S. #suicide

A photo posted by @sadtopographies on Sep 20, 2015 at 12:17am PDT

Okay, so this one is in Italy, which means the pronunciation (and meaning) is different, but still…it’s pretty funny.

Alone, Brescia Province, Italy #alone

A photo posted by @sadtopographies on Oct 6, 2015 at 4:19am PDT

Of course, you don’t always need the all-seeing eye that is Google Earth to find some truly questionable naming choices. There are plenty of streets in small towns everywhere with some rather colorful names.

Like these:

Again, you have to wonder about the story behind this one.

We imagine this name harkens back to the hardship of early settlers.

This one, however, is rather direct.

This one is almost kind of cute.

While this one is all kinds of terrifying.

(Yes, we know it’s probably short for “Methodist,” but it’s rather misguided.)

Bonus: people living here probably don’t have to deal with as many door-to-door salespeople.

Same with this one.

Of course, some places go the other way and come out awesome.

(via Ufunk, Heavy, World Wide Interweb)

So if you ever feel down because the place you live isn’t graced with a beautiful name, just remember that you don’t live in any of these spots. Although, I think we’re all a little sad we don’t live on Captain Bacon Road…