Optical illusions are sometimes created intentionally and sometimes happen by accident. What’s fascinating about these illusions is that not everyone sees the same thing. For example, what color are these shoes? And which way is the horse spinning?

Here’s another one. Which way is the man standing up in this picture facing? Is he facing towards the camera or away from the camera?

Reddit users are split on their opinion of which direction this man is facing. Many insist he is facing towards the camera. One person wrote, “He’s looking right into his camera, assuming he’s using a camera and not a phone.”

One Reddit user wrote, “Definitely facing towards the camera. His left shoulder is higher. If he was facing away then his right shoulder would be lower.”

Another person commented with a detailed explanation of why he MUST be facing towards the camera.

Towards the camera. 2 reasons.

1. if he were facing away he most likely would have to be left handed because looking away it would be the right hand just barely touching the phone for balancing and the left hand pushing the button for taking the picture. This is not definite but I believe most people attempt to use their dominant hand/ thumb to press the “shutter” button. Therefore, given that left handed people are an abomination before all mankind, only a crazed lunatic would take a photograph with a left handed person as the central focal point.

2. if he were facing away I imagine there would be some light coming from the phone screen which would cause some amount of lightness in that area but the darkness seems too uniform for that unless the photo was edited to purposely darken the screen light which would be just kind of a dirty thing to do for this type of illusion.

Other people are convinced he is facing away from the camera. One person wrote, “I showed it to my wife across the table, and seeing it upside-down breaks the illusion and I can only see it as facing away in that condition.”

Another comment reads, “If he was facing toward us he wouldn’t be a silhouette, who takes a picture of the dark; this means he’s facing away with his back being the darkside.”

Yet another Reddit user explains, “Definitely away. It’s slightly more obvious only looking at him, but you need only see the other people to surmise that’s he’s obviously looking at the same thing they are, and they are facing away.”

Other Reddit users really can’t decide. On person commented, “He’s actually facing both ways at the same time.”

Another Reddit user wrote, “The illusion is that he could be facing either way, that’s why it’s an illusion… But can we at least agree that he’s holding a phone?! Hardly anyone uses a camera anymore.”

Which direction do you think the man in this optical illusion is facing?