This collection of photographs of majestic landmarks around the world do a great job of just how important framing, perspective and lighting are to a photograph. All of these photo pairs are of the same object, but the changes in perspective can make them seem more or less grand.

A change of perspective can change a lot, which applies just as much to photography as it does to anything else in life. Sure, the Brandenburg gate and Mount Rushmore are majestic when framed the right way, but they can look mundane when they aren’t the central focus of the photograph they’re in.

Aside from the composition of these images, some of them also show just how misleading photography can be. Most of us probably imagine that the Taj Mahal is surrounded by pristine gardens because it’s always photographed from the same angle. But the squalid garbage dumps behind it tell another tale. Anyone who hasn’t been to Niagara Falls might think that they’re surrounded by a beautiful national forest instead of a series of tall buildings built on the lip of a nearby cliff.

Of course, not all of these photos reduce the landmarks’ grandeur. The Acropolis, the Arc de Triomphe and New York City’s Central Park all arguably look even better or at least look great in a different way in their second photos. The zoomed-out photos of the Acropolis and the Arc only serve to highlight how those landmarks are focal points of their cities.

h/t: thepobv

1. The Great Pyramids of Giza

Image credits: Edward Ewert

Image credits: Raimond Spekking

2. Stonehenge

Image credits: Amanda White

Image credits: e-architect.co.uk

3. Taj Mahal

Image credits: Marvin Bartels

Image credits: imgur.com

4. The Brandenburg Gate

Image credits: Paul Gamble

Image credits: imgur.com

5. Sagrada Familia

Image credits: Rainer Walter Schmied

Image credits: Aldas Kirvaitis

6. Niagara Falls

Image credits: imgur.com

Image credits: imgur.com

7. The Acropolis

Image credits: imgur.com

Image credits: imgur.com

8. Mount Rushmore

Image credits: Lanis Rossi

Image credits: imgur.com

9. The Forbidden City

Image credits: panoramio.com

Image credits: imgur.com

10. Hollywood

Image credits: imgur.com

Image credits: imgur.com

11. Santorini

Image credits: paowmagazine.com

Image credits: Csilla Zelko

12. Mona Lisa

Image credits: Pascal Le Segretain

Image credits: traveljapanblog.com

13. Central Park, New York City

Image credits: James

Image credits: Sergey Semenov

14. The Arc de Triomphe

Image credits: Kajo Photography

Image credits: imgur.com

15. Little Mermaid

Image credits: wallpaperswiki.com

Image credits: cooldaddypop.com