Everyone has had one of those moments that are so excruciatingly embarrassing, we wish we could disappear into oblivion. Unfortunately, everyone has a cell phone at their disposal at all times now. So, there’s a good chance that someone has snapped a photo of your mishap just like the people who captured these perfectly timed photos of moments right before mayhem broke loose.
These photos probably couldn't be recreated at a moment's notice, and many of the people in these photos wouldn't want them to be! Whether it was a natural phenomenon that seemed set to cause disaster or a funny moment that probably wasn't so funny in the moment, these images will probably stick in your memory for a while.
Toast Gone Wrong
It’s customary to clash glasses full of drinks when breaking a meal with someone. But it looks like these people didn’t know their strength and destroyed their glass cups when they clashed. And from the looks of it, the lady in the photo got the worst of it as she was showered with beer.
When Cola Drinks Erupt
It looks like someone thought it would be fun to throw Mentos candy into this bottle of generic soda. But they didn't tell this kid what would happen and judging from this photo, he got hit in the face with a geyser of soda foam.
Woman on the Edge
This guy just wanted to take a shirtless photo by the pool to post on social media. But the lady that’s standing on the edge of the pool stole his thunder as she leaned back as if getting ready to fall on her back and make a big splash.
The Woman Who Could Fly
These people decided to give their catapult a try, and thankfully, they had a willing participant ready to test it out. But their homemade invention worked a little too well and the woman went flying while her horrified friends watched.
The Sneaky Owl Attack
The kid in the blue hoodie is smiling because he has no idea that an owl is swooping down from behind and is about to sink its sharp claws into him. Maybe it likes the kid’s hoodie and wants to take it for itself.
The Runaway Front Wheel
This poor motorcyclist was wowing spectators with a stunt, but somewhere along the way, the front wheel came off. And this photo was snapped mere moments before disaster struck. It’s too bad no one captured the aftermath.
The Groom Takes a Tumble
No matter how flawlessly someone wants their wedding to go, mistakes will happen. Just ask this groom who was walking out of the ceremony with his bride when he slipped and fell. And this snap captures the shock expression of both the bride and the groom seconds before his knees smashed into the ground.
Oh No! Not the Cheesecake
This poor thing! Now this is the face of a woman who had undoubtedly been counting her calories for months just so that she could cheat a bit and treat herself to that cheesecake. Unfortunately, while posing with her tasty dessert, the cheesecake fell off the plate. And the horror on her face is understandable.
Shoved in the Water
Judging from the way the men on the dock have their hands stretched out, it’s safe to assume that they shoved the guy into the water. But the way the photo was taken makes it seem like he’s breakdancing on the water’s surface.
Killed by Nail Biting
This one’s more like one of those in the right place at the right time kind of photos. The woman on the right is biting her nails not realizing that the main headline of the newspaper Metro was informing readers that someone was killed by nail biting.
Waterskiing Gone Wrong
This kid looks absolutely proud of his dad. He’s even giving him a thumbs up. But the interesting thing about the photo is dear old dad in the background who slipped while waterskiing and was only moments away from falling in the water.
Peeing Somewhere He Shouldn't
If we didn’t know any better, we’d swear this dog knew exactly what he was doing. From the looks of it, he intentionally positioned himself in front of the mouth of this man on a cardboard and chose that moment to relieve himself.
Catching a Hot Dog
It looks like this woman intentionally filled her mouth with mustard. Then she threw a hot dog in the air and attempted to catch it with her mouth, but it doesn’t look like she did a good job. In fact, that hot dog most likely wound up on the ground.
When Pepsi Cans Explode
This Pepsi can was left in the freezer and when the owner went to take a photo, they snapped a compression explosion in the act. On the upside it looks like a pretty cool swirling effect. On the downside, the photographer is going to have to drink water.
Water Balloon Fight Captured on Film
Ever wonder what the moment looks like right before someone smashes a water balloon on someone’s head? Well, we imagine that it looks something like this. But we’re sure that the guy probably needed to cool off from the summer heat.
The Thieving Anchorman
If this anchorman looks panicked, it’s probably because he just reported a story on a robber who looks remarkably similar to him right down to the mustache. The resemblance is uncanny, and you can almost see the beads of sweat starting to form on the newsman’s forehead.
Beer on Her Head
This group of friends look nice and happy in this photo, especially the young woman in pink. But we doubt she’ll be smiling once the beer someone accidentally threw at her, splashes all over her.
Moments Before the Balloon Popped
The odds of snapping a photo right at the moment a balloon pops are probably 1 to a million, but someone did it. They actually captured the moment this guy blew a balloon up to its limit with their smartphone.
He Slapped His Competitor
Some people are so competitive that they’ll do anything to get first place. But in this case, the guy was simply reaching forward to high five the guy standing in the finish line. Unfortunately, he didn’t realize there was someone behind him and he accidentally slapped another runner.
The Massive Wave
This kid just wanted to pose like a supermodel on the sandy shores of the beach. But right as the photo was snapped, a massive wall of water appeared and threatened to come down on him.
The Kid Who Logged Off
One of the kids sitting on this log literally logged off, and we don’t mean from his social media account. The girl next to him knocked him off by accident, and the camera captured him seconds before he hit the ground head first.
The Accidental Slip Up
The mom in this photo has every reason to look panicked. She did, after all, just pour her martini all over her child’s face. Perhaps she had a few too many. Fortunately, the kid seems to be asleep, but the splash on his face will be a rude awakening.
Dog Takes a Bite Out of Human
This dog saw his owner jump in the air and decided to join in on the fun, but take a look at where its mouth is. It looks like the dog is about to accidentally take a big bite out of his human and neuter him.
Dog Vamps Out For a Treat
This owner snapped a photo a split second after hurling a treat towards his dog, who appears to have grown fangs like a vampire as it opens its mouth real wide to catch the treat. He looks so eager, too, as if he hadn’t been fed in days.
The Woman in the Fire
This photo was snapped at the moment that the flames took the form of a woman whose face looks almost skeleton like and has flames for hair. This would undoubtedly make camper of all ages freak out and cry ghost.
Hound Refuses Banana From Orangutan
The dog appears unwilling to accept the banana his friend is offering him and is turning away, but it doesn’t look like he’ll have a choice. Now the story behind the photo is that Suryia the orangutan met Roscoe, the hound, at a shelter in South Carolina. The two are good friends and Suryia even takes him out for walks, but Roscoe seems to draw the line on feeding.
Ship in the Clouds
To the average person, it looks like an ancient sea faring vessel, possibly a pirate ship, navigating the clouds above this town. But it’s not a boat. It’s the Sutro Tower in San Francisco, California which is present in the horizon between Mount Sutro and Twin Peaks.
Bird Mesmerized by its Reflection
Birds don’t generally recognize themselves when they look at themselves in the mirror. So, when this bird was snapped in midflight heading towards the sideview mirror of this car, it looked like it was ready to fight itself.
Air Force Pilot Gets Splashed
This photo was taken half a second before the co-pilot posing for his photo got splashed with a bucket of water. This was the pilot’s first combat mission, and from the looks of it, this was some sort of celebratory rite of passage.
The Walking Dog
His human threw something up in the air, possibly a stick or a tasty treat and took a snap. This made it seem as though the pooch was actually walking on his hind legs like a human instead of all fours like a dog.
The Jumping Dog and Mouse Duo
This photo was taken at the exact moment that a dog saw a mouse in the yard and it jumped in the air in sheer terror. The ironic thing was that the mouse jumped too when it saw from its tiny perspective what appeared to be a huge dog ready to attack.
Bird Doesn’t Like Sharing Its Food
This may be the most epic food fight in the history of birds. Judging from this photo, these two birds were locked in battle after one of them tried eating the other’s food supply. This led to a major confrontation and one of the birds knocked the other bird out of the “arena.”
Worst Parents Ever
This is a moment that child services will treasure forever in their vault of evidence because these parents accidentally dropped their daughter right as the photo was taken. Fortunately, the look of surprise on their faces probably convinced them that it was not intentional.
Slugged by a Ball
This poor coach was watching his team from the sideline and had no idea he was about to get slugged by a basketball. It must have happened quickly because no one in the audience, not even the coach, is showing any signs of reacting to the runaway ball.
The Moon Landing
Talk about a cool shot! This photo was taken just as this skydiver and his parachute are flying over the moon in the distant. But from a forced perspective, it looks like the skydiver is literally landing on the actual moon.
Runaway Food
This photo captures the horrified look of this shopper as they realize that their plastic grocery bag has just ripped from the bottom. As the food starts to drop down the stairs, they’re probably wishing that they had doubled bagged their groceries.
A Whale of a Good Time
Is that Beluga whale about to eat that little girl’s head? No. The creature is actually swimming around in an aquarium tank. The little girl just happened to be standing near the glass when the whale opened its mouth.
Bird Eat Fish World
We tell ourselves that birds are all cute and all, but this photo captured this bird swallowing an entire fish whole seconds after it jumped out of the water. This just proves that this world may be a dog-eat-dog world, but it’s also a bird-eat-fish world, too.
Moments Before Dog Bites Cat
This photo was taken just as the family dog sees the cat’s tail dangling off the couch. For some reason, it looked scrumptious and the dog is moments away from biting down on it. It’s too bad we can’t see the aftermath.
Sitting Near a Sprinkler
Some consider military basic training to be a challenge that pushes the physical, mental and emotional limits of each recruit. But it’s not the drill sergeant that one recruit has to worry about. It’s the sprinkler system that just went off right in front of him.
Dog Tongues His Owner
If this photo teaches us anything it’s that we shouldn’t laugh out loud with our mouths wide open because to a dog, it’s simply an invitation to stick their tongue into our mouth. The poor owner looks absolutely grossed out by the unexpected experience.
Bird Takes the Ice Cream
The thing about holding an ice cream cone like you’re the Statue of Liberty holding the torch is that animals don’t know you’re posing for a photo. They just assume you’re offering them food, and this bird has accepted the unintentional invitation for ice cream.
Falling in the Background
This photo was taken during a Coast Guard change of command, but on the far left is a man who leaned a little too far in his chair and was snapped falling back. Fortunately, he was okay but his ego and backside got a little bruised.
Cat Jumping Out of Housefire
This guy just rescued a dog from that burning house, but the cat obviously didn’t need saving. As seen in this photo, the feline simply jumped out the window moments before it was consumed by the growing fire within.
Lightning Strikes Thrice
They say lightning never strikes twice in the same location, but it can certainly strike three nearby skyscrapers as this photo proves. These structures happen to be the three tallest buildings in Chicago, Illinois, and are total lightning magnets.
Slip and Slide Dog
This dog might look like he’s acting all silly, but it’s not easy running around outside in the middle of winter. That’s a lesson he learned the hard way when he ran into a patch of ice that was so slippery that it turned him into a figure skater.
Slip and Fall Photographer
If this wedding group looks shocked and horrified, it’s because their photographer had slipped and was seconds away from hitting the ground. On the plus side, they took a pretty nice photo before they went down and at least no one laughed.
Moments Before Impact
We know what happens when a diver jumps off the plank. They do a few cool spins in the air and then they crash into the water below. But this image was snapped right before this diver went in the water and it seems like she’s doing handstands instead of diving.