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
Staged Scene
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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 Master Race (May 8, 1943)
The British Army created this picture of an unkempt German soldier as part of its propaganda efforts. ...» |
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Red Army Flag Over Reichstag (May 2, 1945)
This photo was both staged and doctored in an attempt to create a Soviet version of the Americans' Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima image. ...» |
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The Kiss at City Hall (April 1, 1950)
Robert Doisneau admitted in 1993 that he paid models to stage this romantic Parisian scene. ...» |
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Venusian Scoutcraft (December 13, 1952)
What George Adamski claimed was a photo of a UFO looks suspiciously like a lampshade with ping pong balls glued to it. ...» |
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The Peppered Moth (1955)
The many biology textbooks that used this image did not reveal that the moths were dead and glued to the bark. ...» |
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The Bluff Creek Bigfoot (October 20, 1967)
Bigfoot believers claim this is a photo of that elusive North American primate. Skeptics argue it shows a person in an ape suit. ...» |
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These photos of Victorian-era street children turned out to be modern frauds. ...»
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Yeah Eckerd (1981)
The news photographer staged the scene by having a fan write the phrase "Yeah Eckerd" on the soles of his feet. ...» |
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The Case of the Moving Pyramids (February 1982)
In what became the first high-profile example of digital photo manipulation, National Geographic moved the pyramids slightly closer together to fit within the frame of the cover. ...» |
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The Lackawanna Shooter (Published Sep 20, 2002)
A New York Times photographer was accused of staging this photo "like a fashion shoot." ...» |
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The Misleading Steak Premiere (Late 2002)
A government investigation concluded there was a disparity between the amount of toppings shown in this ad, and the amount on the actual sandwich. ...» |
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Islamic Hostage Action-Figure Hoax (February 1, 2005)
Hostage "John Adam," whose photo appeared on internet bulletin boards used by Iraqi rebels, turned out to be a Cody action-figure doll. ...» |
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“I can promise, this will never get done” (Created in 2005. Circulating online since 2008.)
Artist Alison Jackson uses lookalikes to create images of "celebrities ostensibly caught unawares." ...» |
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Paper Tiger (October 3, 2007)
The South China tiger in this photo, a species feared to be extinct, turned out to be a paper cutout. ...» |
All text Copyright © 2011 by Alex Boese, except where otherwise indicated. All rights reserved.