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: 1920-1939
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Stotham, Massachusetts: The Town That Didn’t Exist (Published in April 1920)
A Massachusetts town, described as an example of an unspoiled New England village, turned out not to exist. ...» |
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The Nest of a Fatu-Liva (1921)
An image of square eggs satirically proves that the camera never lies. ...» |
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High-Pressure Hijinks (ca. 1923)
It is unlikely that water pressure alone is keeping this soldier suspended in air. ...» |
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Raised Runway (Undated. Possibly from the 1920s.)
An April Fool's day image shows a raised runway in a German city. ...» |
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Ada Emma Deane’s Armistice Day Series (November 1924)
Spiritualists claimed this image showed the spirits of dead war heroes. A newspaper identified the faces as living football players. ...» |
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Bloody Sunday, 1905 (1925)
Soviet textbooks claimed this was a photo of 1905's Bloody Sunday massacre in St. Petersburg. It was actually a reenactment of that event. ...» |
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Mother Cat Stops Traffic (July 29, 1925)
The news photographer arrived too late to capture the original scene, so he convinced the policeman to recreate it. ...» |
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Death in the Air (Published in 1933; debunked in 1984.)
Spectacular images of World War I dog fights were eventually exposed as photos of model airplanes. ...» |
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Wisconsin’s Capitol Collapses (April 1, 1933)
An April Fool's Day image of the Wisconsin state capitol collapsing due to an excess of gas generated by verbose debate. ...» |
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Baby Adolf (Late 1933)
This fake baby photo of Adolf Hitler circulated widely during the mid-1930s. ...» |
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Lung-Powered Flying Machine (April 1, 1934)
This April Fool's day image of a new method of flying fooled many, including the New York Times. ...» |
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The Surgeon’s Photo (Reportedly taken on April 19, 1934.)
This is considered to be the most famous image of the Loch Ness Monster. It actually shows a fake serpent's head attached to a toy submarine. ...» |
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Whopper Hoppers (circa 1935)
Giant grasshoppers were particularly popular subjects for tall-tale postcards during the 1930s. ...» |
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The Perambulating Skull (May 1936)
Arthur Rothstein was accused of using a steer's skull as a movable prop in order to exaggerate drought conditions in the Great Plains. ...» |
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The Falling Soldier (September 5, 1936)
Despite allegations that Robert Capa staged this famous war photo, historical research shows that he did not. ...» |
All text Copyright © 2011 by Alex Boese, except where otherwise indicated. All rights reserved.