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.
Site Map
Photo Archive Categories
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
Category: Striking a Pose
 |
The first fake photo ever created: Hippolyte Bayard pretending to be a suicide victim. ...»
|
 |
Mumler’s Spirit Photos (1861-1879)
William Mumler created the genre of the spirit photo: ghostly images supposedly caught on film. ...» |
 |
Lincoln’s Portrait (Late 1860s)
The head of Lincoln was pasted onto the body of Southern leader John Calhoun in order to create a heroic-style presidential portrait. ...» |
 |
Dickens in America (December 1867)
An early example of how a celebrity's appearance could be tidied up in the darkroom. ...» |
 |
The Rope Trick (ca. 1888)
This model is not really sitting on a swing. ...» |
 |
A Bear and its Hunters (ca. 1900)
A humorous example of a staged scene. ...» |
 |
The Melon Party (1911)
In order to create this postcard of children eating a giant watermelon, photographer Alfred Stanley Johnson used wooden props. ...» |
 |
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. ...» |
 |
High-Pressure Hijinks (ca. 1923)
It is unlikely that water pressure alone is keeping this soldier suspended in air. ...» |
 |
The Master Race (May 8, 1943)
The British Army created this picture of an unkempt German soldier as part of its propaganda efforts. ...» |
 |
Miss Perfect Profile (ca. 1950)
The head of a modeling agency added creative captions, such as "Miss Perfect Profile," to the photos of his models in order to get newspapers to print them. ...» |
 |
The Vanishing Belly Button, 1964 (February 1964)
When the LA Times published this picture, it airbrushed out the model's belly button in order to "conform to regulations." ...» |
 |
Oswald’s Backyard Photo (Published in February 1964)
Magazines that published this photo of Lee Harvey Oswald retouched portions of it, leading to suspicions that the original image itself was fake. It was not. ...» |
 |
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. ...» |
 |
Oprah’s Head Transplant (August 26, 1989)
It's Oprah Winfrey's head, but it's Ann-Margret's body. ...» |
All text Copyright © 2011 by Alex Boese, except where otherwise indicated. All rights reserved.