Photobombing

Photobomb in Iowa City, 2010

Photobombing is the act of purposely putting oneself into the view of a photograph, often in order to play a practical joke on the photographer or the subjects.[1] Photobombing has received significant coverage since 2009.[2] In discussing a "stingray photobomb" picture that became popular, Andrea DenHoed suggests that the photobomb label "implies a narrative of surreptitious sabotage,"[2] although in the sense of unintended or initially unnoticed people in the background of spoiled photographs, photobombs have existed for much of the history of photography.

In 2014, "photobomb" was named Word of the Year by the Collins English Dictionary after several photos of celebrities photobombing at awards ceremonies had gone viral.[3]

  1. ^ "Definition of photobomb". Oxford English Dictionary. Archived from the original on August 27, 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
  2. ^ a b DenHoed, Andrea (9 October 2012). "A Few Words About the Stingray Photobomb". The New Yorker. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
  3. ^ Shaffi, Sarah (23 October 2014). "'Photobomb' judged Collins' 'Word of the Year'". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2020-05-28.