Thanks to photography, people can freeze beautiful moments in time; and some excel at the task. However, there’s always room for improvement, so even the best of shots can sometimes benefit from some constructive criticism. And that’s what the ‘I Took a Picture’ (ITAP) subreddit is for.

The community, comprising over 5 million members, is dedicated to photography techniques and styles. It encourages redditors to post their work and ask for critique or browse the submissions and learn how photography techniques are achieved. Today we invite you to browse the submissions simply to marvel at their captivating beauty. Scroll down to find some of the best shots shared on the subreddit and see what beautiful moments people managed to freeze in time.

#1 ITAP Of My Cats Watching A Sunset

Image credits: scarletheavens1

#2 ITAP Of The Empire State Building Reflected In An Oily Puddle

Image credits: olyhawk

#3 ITAP Of My Cat In Tollymore Forest

Image credits: irish_adventure_cat

Started back in 2009, the photography-focused subreddit has over 5.1 million members, eager to learn more about different styles and techniques of the artform. In a recent interview, one of the moderators of ‘I Took a Picture’, Michael Villafranco—known to the Reddit community as u/PhlightYagami—told Bored Panda more about it:

“Our subreddit was created with the mission of providing a space for photographers to share their works and learn from one another. We take a photography-first approach. Titles for our submissions are minimal, simply setting expectations, or, in the case of abstract photography, clarifying what is in the scene.

“The photographer is then encouraged to share their gear, techniques, intention, backstory, etc. in the comments. As a result, our members see the photograph first and then decide if they want to learn more about it. It’s similar to those little placards at a museum that you only check out if the work itself speaks to you,” the redditor explained.

#4 ITAP Of The Snow In Kyoto This Evening

Image credits: mardmanimal

#5 Itap Of A Boat In Fog

Image credits: _Albin_

Michael pointed out that communities such as ITAP provide many benefits to members of the subreddit and Reddit at large. “For photography enthusiasts, it is a place to see original works of art and interact with the artists,” he said. “For photographers, it is a place for sharing, teaching, growth, and connection. And for everyone, it is a place for inspiration.”

#6 ITAP Of A Man Painting Shoes On A Rome Street

Image credits: onewaymonkey

#7 ITAP Of A Morning Foggy Tea Hill

Image credits: Kevin_Nguyen1981

#8 ITAP Of A Street In Versailles

Image credits: ronneldavis

Michael Villafranco told Bored Panda that his favorite thing about the community is being able to interact with world-class photographers every day. “They are always happy to answer questions and share their techniques. It’s incredible how much my knowledge of photography has grown since joining ITAP.” According to Gitnux, back in 2021, there were nearly 75 million professional photographers globally.

#9 ITAP Of A Hawaiian Sunset

Image credits: pannyst4s

#10 ITAP Of A Dog Named Louie

Image credits: Wholesale_Grapefruit

#11 ITAP Of A Great Grey Owl

Image credits: reddit.com

Villafranco also revealed what he loves most about managing the subreddit: “I love managing it because I get to work with an amazing group of moderators. Our team is small, but diverse, filled with talented photographers with a passion for sharing art and knowledge.

“They moderate objectively and empathetically, an approach that seems to be less and less common. I didn’t know it when I first joined, but I accidentally stumbled into one of the best mod teams on Reddit.”

#12 ITAP Of Rawson Lake

Image credits: Bat2121

#13 ITAP Of My Cat

Image credits: Wolfz1986

#14 ITAP Of The Most Beautiful Mountain

Image credits: Kotokhira

Asked about what he enjoys most about photography itself, Michael Villafranco emphasized that it is powerful; with it, you can tell a story. “You can capture an emotion. You can turn the mundane into the incredible. Photography transcends language, culture, and even time itself. It is a marvelous form of art whose talented artists continue to push to new heights.”

#15 ITAP Of The Tree Of Life

Image credits: squarederic

#16 ITAP Of A Blue Tit In Flight

Image credits: langshot

#17 ITAP Of A Lampposts In Love On A Bench In Turin (Italy)

Image credits: Mick_Tz

With the rapid advancement of technology and somewhat incredible phone cameras, compared to what they used to be just a decade ago, people are taking more and more pictures on their devices other than digital cameras.

Statista pointed out that over four years, from 2013 to 2017 alone, the number of digital pictures taken has doubled, reaching 1,200 billion by the end of the four-year period. It also pointed out that a phone was by far the most used device for taking digital photos, responsible for as many as 85% of them.

#18 ITAP Of Some Clouds

Image credits: CrookeJerkyJockey

#19 ITAP Of A Highland Calf

Image credits: sadieellenorgrace

#20 ITAP Of A Windmill

Image credits: TQairstrike

Photutorial revealed that there are roughly 1.81 trillion photos globally taken every year, which equals to 57,000 every second, or 5.0 billion every day. It is estimated that by 2030, roughly 2.3 trillion pictures will be taken annually.

It also suggested that the average user has somewhere around 2,100 photos on their smartphone now in 2023.

#21 ITAP Of A Snowflake That Fell Onto My Backpack

Image credits: Calmaar

#22 ITAP Stourhead In Its Autumn Colours

Image credits: Chippyrog

#23 ITAP Of A Turtle In A Clear Lake

Image credits: Plasmazine

With people snapping thousands of photos every second, one might wonder if they find the time to actually enjoy the moment, rather than just capture it on their smartphone. Professor of marketing at the Yale School of Management, Gal Zauberman, believes that they do.

“My first intuition was that somehow [taking photos] would harm your experience because it disengages you,” Professor Zauberman told Yale Insights. “It introduces another task. It’s not natural. There’s something that stands between you and the experience. But we found exactly the opposite of that.”

Zauberman’s team found that when capturing them, photographers focus on the visual aspects of the moments, which allows them to experience them more fully and more pleasurably.

#24 ITAP Of A Climber The Moment She Lost Balance

Image credits: theobenjamin_photo

#25 ITAP Of A Tree

Image credits: Davidzzr1999

#26 ITAP Of A Deer In A Field Of Flax

Image credits: sambinding

If you enjoy capturing moments yourself or browsing beautiful shots shared by others, the ‘I Took a Picture’ subreddit is definitely worth your while. You can view more captivating images on Bored Panda’s previous piece on the community here.

Moderator of the subreddit Michael Villafranco also pointed out that Reddit isn’t the only place to interact with the ITAP community. “Our Instagram feed contains a curated collection of incredible and awe-inspiring photographs,” he said, adding that their Discord server is a supportive group of photographers from all walks of life. “Join the conversation and chat about photography, gear, and techniques, or just talk about your day.”