By the time you see the sniper hiding in this dark forest, it will be too late.
Somewhere in the trees lurks an almost invisible marksman, aiming at you and ready to pull the trigger.
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If you look closely, you can almost see the sniper Credit: Simon Menner
The photo above was taken by artist Simon Menner, who was given permission to see snipers in action with the German, Latvian and Lithuanian armies.
It shows a dense forest and a perfectly camouflaged soldier taking a well-hidden position with a high-powered rifle.
The tranquil landscape seems completely empty at first, but the sniper is aiming right at you.
If you look closely, you can almost make out the barrel of his gun, the only clue to his secret hiding place.
Blending in with your surroundings is as much a part of sniper training as learning to hit a target a mile away.
They must be able to survive alone or in pairs on unyielding terrain, digging holes for shelter.
And when the time comes to strike, they must be ready, without you realizing it.
Simon spent six years tracking snipers-in-training to capture their uncanny ability to blend in with their surroundings.
He watched them help each other make their own “ghillie suits” using natural elements like leaves and dead grass to match each landscape.
His series of photographs, called Disappearing Act, appear at first glance to be tranquil and sometimes eerie landscapes, from sunny meadows to mist-shrouded mountains.
But in each image there is a shooter with a gun pointed directly at the camera.
In some images, the sniper is only 30 feet away, but still very hard to spot.
In real life, the sniper would be at least a quarter mile from the target, who would have no chance of seeing it.
Do you need a clue? Look at the bottom right of the image.
Peering out from behind the bare trees, you may only see the flash of a metal scope.
The sniper is circled in the next image below.
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Did you manage to locate the sniper lurking in the woods? Credit: Simon Menner
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education