snapped shot

I'm going to post this picture directly for two reasons: One, I think the image has been manipulated, and would love to hear from the rest of you as to whether or not you concur. Two, as I mentioned previously, I do not acknowledge the copyright claims of terrorists.

So, with that disclaimer in mind, I'd like for you to consider the following picture. Pay particular attention to the woman on the left—Anyone else think that the lighting on her outfit is all wrong?



The pattern looks "off" to me, too. It's either a really modern design, and thusly quite camera-surly, or Ah-maddy-jab has been following in CAIR's footsteps with one of his female relatives.

As always, feel free to sound off in the comments, whether you agree or not.

(h/t Gateway Pundit for the picture)

What happens when one terrorist group accuses another terrorist group of manipulating a photograph?

If you guessed "A Patented Little Green Footballs Throbbing gif," pat yourself on the back immediately:



The nefarious Elder has the rest of the story.

UPDATE: Reuters has responded again. Has this issue touched a nerve with the GBU Editor? I'm pleased to see them release all the evidence at their disposal, though.

It is important to understand that accuracy and impartiality are central to our reporting, and to everything Reuters represents. We distribute approximately 1,500 pictures per day, and these pass through rigorous editorial evaluation and selection to make it onto our wire. We stand behind the authenticity and accuracy of both the original photo, and the additional images supplied.

I hate to say it, but I'm almost with Reuters on this one: The additional photographs do show quite a bit of undamaged room, in addition to piles of charred wood which, presumably, came from the roof of the house. The ball is back in ASRL's court, though—I'd love to see what their fire experts say about this additional information.



Reuters has been challenged about that pristine doll we were discussing a while back, and is fighting back with a vengeance... of sorts:

The photo is fine. We have examined the whole sequence of pictures that included this one, and there are a number of things in the house - a doorknob here, a picture frame there, etc. - that appear clean despite the serious fire damage around them: GBU Editor

Thanks to Rhonda Shearer from the Art Science Research Laboratory for bringing this to my attention, and for giving me the chance to hit the fauxtography tag once again. I definitely look forward to hearing what becomes of this investigation!



Update: Déjà vu. Reuters really loves standing behind their controversies, don't they?

Update: Here is one of the other images Rhonda referenced. Very nicely composed, too:



Also note that a personal friend of Mario Anzuoni swears that Mario would never stage a photograph—Which is duly noted, Chris. Is it possible that this was merely a very unlikely coincidence? My bet's on "no," but hey, I'm always open to suggestions.

Rusty and An American First have brought up a photo that seems oddly reminiscent:



Mario, how did that totally unscathed plastic doll manage to find its way into the middle of a burned-out pile of rubble, without becoming a melted lump of goo?

This is most likely much ado about nothing, but it's still amusing to see nonetheless... And it feels great to have my first chance to hit the fauxtography tag in a long time.

The missus informs me that there is something of a controversy surrounding French President Nikolas Sarkozy's recent vacation photographs:—Namely, that they've been somewhat retouched:

French fauxtography?

A magazine owned by a millionaire friend of Nicolas Sarkozy doctored a photograph of the French president to remove his "love handles", it has been claimed.

Paris Match, the celebrity weekly owned by the media mogul Arnaud Lagardere, was said to have applied a computer air brush to the image of Mr Sarkozy to get rid of the unsightly bulges of fat around his waist, which are known as poignées d'amour in French.

It was only last year that Mr Sarkozy was accused of being responsible for the sacking of the magazine's former editor Alain Genestar after he published a front page picture of Mr Sarkozy's wife Cécilia and an alleged lover.

Such revelations highlight claims that the president has enjoyed favourable treatment from some parts of the media because of his ties to wealthy and influential businessmen.

Believe me, I have seen much worse. Or better, as the case may be.

Gateway Pundit is pointing out possible fauxtography in an editorial photograph of Barack Obama, one of the Democratic contenders to the White House in our current election cycle.

Personally, I don't see it. The photograph on the right seems to have some tonal and sharpness corrections applied to it, but other than that, it doesn't seem to be enough of a "cry foul" change to me, and could easily be explained away as a "housekeeping" change.



What do y'all think?

Whenever they're in a pinch, the Party of God never fails to ratchet up God's Propaganda. The United ... make that Useless Nations does nothing to stop it. How else will they live up to their name and reputation, after all?



I will say, what's really disgusting is the obviously-photoshopped scowl on Ehud Olmert's face. I mean, it's not like there are any pictures showing him in full scowl in real life or anything, right? Continue reading »