Techniques of
Photo Fakery
Photo Fakery
1: Inserting details. This includes placing an element from one photo into another to create a composite image, reproducing a detail of the photo by cloning it, superimposing an image onto another, or drawing-in details.
2: Deleting details. This is usually done by extending background elements over the unwanted detail. Or one can crop out the unwanted detail.
3: Manipulating elements within the photo. For instance, adjusting the color, resizing details, or rotating or moving details.
4: falsifying the caption.
5: Staging the scene. This is considered fakery particularly in photojournalism. Varieties of staging a scene include using models and cutouts and inserting a prop into the scene.
6: Trick angles. The most common example of this is the use of forced perspective.
2: Deleting details. This is usually done by extending background elements over the unwanted detail. Or one can crop out the unwanted detail.
3: Manipulating elements within the photo. For instance, adjusting the color, resizing details, or rotating or moving details.
4: falsifying the caption.
5: Staging the scene. This is considered fakery particularly in photojournalism. Varieties of staging a scene include using models and cutouts and inserting a prop into the scene.
6: Trick angles. The most common example of this is the use of forced perspective.
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The Hoax Photo Archive
A gallery of photo fakery throughout history.
Years Archived:
1840-1900 | 1900-1919 | 1920-1939 | 1940-1959 | 1960-1979 | 1980-1999 | 2000-2004 | 2005-Present
A gallery of photo fakery throughout history.
Years Archived:
1840-1900 | 1900-1919 | 1920-1939 | 1940-1959 | 1960-1979 | 1980-1999 | 2000-2004 | 2005-Present
Time Period: 1900-1919
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A Bear and its Hunters (ca. 1900)
A humorous example of a staged scene. ...» |
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Pacific Sea Monster (1906)
Men in Ballard, Washington pose with a sea serpent that looks suspiciously like a log. ...» |
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William ‘Dad’ Martin’s Freak Postcards (1909-1910)
Martin made a fortune selling "freak" postcards that featured midwesterners interacting with oversized animals and vegetables. ...» |
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The Melon Party (1911)
In order to create this postcard of children eating a giant watermelon, photographer Alfred Stanley Johnson used wooden props. ...» |
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Ocean Execution (December 1913)
A vacation snapshot was creatively recaptioned to become evidence of a brutal execution scene. ...» |
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The Cottingley Fairies (1917-1920)
Two young girls used paper cutouts to create a series of images of "fairies." These images are among the most famous fake photos of all time. ...» |
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Trotsky Vanishes (Taken in 1919; altered ca. 1967)
Once Leon Trotsky fell out of political favor, Soviet censors attempted to purge all evidence of his existence. This included removing him from photos such as this one. ...» |
All text Copyright © 2011 by Alex Boese, except where otherwise indicated. All rights reserved.