What distinguishes one truly creative photograph from millions of other great pictures out there? ’The latest equipment, or a beautiful composition,’ one might suppose. But the answer is actually even more simple — it’s all about capturing the right moment. A great photo can feature literally anything — from a sudden lighting bolt to a small fish struggling for its life in the half-open beak of a bird. It can be a shadow on the ground or a crystal clear drop of rain.

And you don’t have to be a professional to take a great shot; all you need is simply to be in the right place, catch the right moment, and hit the shutter button.

The authors of the following photos prove us that to create something this beautiful you don’t need any special graphic tools. Just use your imagination, and the result may profoundly surprise you.

The ultimate Lotus Pose on the beach.

1
OMGFacts

Just a crayfish in a metal bucket. Not the crayfish trying to take over the planet Earth, as you may have thought.

2
zhangzishi

The Puyehue-Cordón Caulle eruption in Chile. Now that looks pretty fearsome!

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© Rival Gustavo

The Royal Navy celebration in Great Britain.

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© Dave Jankins

Swim into the summer!

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© Roman Mokrov

Did you know that using long exposure can create something this amazing?

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© alastar

’Catch the wave!’ Hawaii, USA.

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© Ray Collins

While snorkeling in Key Largo’s coral reefs, you can meet this 8 1/2 foot sculpture of Jesus Christ. Florida, USA.

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© Shutterstock

One of the worst floods in the history of Ljubljana, Slovenia.

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© Ales Komovec / Solent / Legion-Media

That’s the moment!

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© Richard Heeks

Don’t believe your eyes if you think you’re seeing an explosion…or even an eruption.

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© Corey Arnold

A frozen birch leaf in a puddle.

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© Ivan Dementievskiy

This is how they sew fishnet in Vietnam.

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© Pham Ty

Mount Bromo is an active volcano in Indonesia.

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© Guillaume Buret

Autumn and winter meet in Colorado, USA.

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© Jeff Howe

The Northern Lights in Norway.

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© Max Rive

A new galaxy.

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© Abhijeet Kumar

Ants drinking from a ’giant’ honey sea, Malaysia.

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© Husni Che Ngah

Chiang Mai sky lantern festival, Thailand.

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© Sherry Zhao

The universe is ours.

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© Anton Yankovoy

Fireflies around a small bridge over the Shimanto River, Japan.

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© Takehito Miyatake

All shades of gray.

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© Eduardo Lopez Negrete

A 15-mile-long shadow cast by Mount Fuji.

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© Kris Boorman

A sunrise in Bushy Park, London.

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© Max Ellis

Balance and inner peace.

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© Taro Smith

Where the Namib desert meets the sea, southern Africa.

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© Roberto Sysa Moiola