These gorgeous photos were taken by Google Street View Cameras. Really.

Looking at the photos on Aaron Hobson’s site, you’d think that he has travelled the world, visiting remote and exotic locations, camera in hand, taking some pretty impressive photos along the way.

The photos, which we discovered thanks to a post on Google+ by Mike Elgan, are a gorgeous mix of mystery, beauty and artistry. You imagine Aaron standing in a township in South Africa, or on a remote highway in Mexico which disappears into the fog, taking a moment to frame the photo exactly as he wants it .

The first hint that they’re not his photos is that when you take a closer look, you realize that any faces captured in these photos are blurred out. According to the description on the site, you’ll find the reality is that Aaron is simply curating these photos, taken by the mechanical eye of Google Street View cars.

It’s hard to believe, but these amazing photos are the product of what he describes as “the automated and aesthetically-neutered Google street view cars that linger.”

This isn’t the first time Google Street View images have been turned into what some have described as art, but it certainly is the most beautiful collection of these kinds of photos we’ve seen. Check out the full collection of photos on Aaron’s site.