fake

Fake Food Photos Made with Random Household Things

Kristina Lechner of Kalamazoo, Michigan, is a fake-food photographer (not to be confused with a fake food-photographer). Her project Food Not Food is a series of tasty photos in which everything in the frame is something inedible that was found around the house.

How to Fake Depth of Field Blur in Photoshop Using Z-Depth Pass

Here's a tutorial on how you can create fake depth of field blur in the background of photos using something known as "Z-Depth Pass." I'm not saying that this technique is better than other methods -- because it has some problems -- but it's quite different, and some of you may learn something new.

What People Look Like Online Versus in Real Life

People often use social media photos these days to make their lives seem a lot more happy, exciting, and/or glamorous than it actually is. Popular Vine comedian/actor @MelvinGregg decided to poke fun at this fact of Internet culture with a little 6-second-long Vine sketch that's going viral.

How to Turn a Photo Into a Painting with Photoshop

I recently had the absolute pleasure of meeting and shooting with Mackenzie Johnson! Today I'm going to share how I turned my portrait of her into a painting. Not everyone is a painter, but with a little time and patience -- and Photoshop -- I believe anyone can achieve this effect.

How to Create Faux Fog in Photoshop in 4 Easy Steps

While I strongly prefer adding creative touches to my photos with physical tricks and effects -- such as using dry ice for fog -- sometimes I do need some digital manipulation done in Photoshop. Here is my technique for adding some fake fog to a photo in just 4 easy steps.

Nikon Warns of More Fake DSLRs: D610 and D4S Now on Watch List

At the end of 2014, Nikon issued a notice saying that fake D800E DSLRs have been discovered during service center repairs. Technicians found that the cameras were actually ordinary D800 DSLRs (a few hundred dollars cheaper) that had their covers replaced with D800E shells.

Nikon issued an update today saying that other models are being faked as well, namely the D610 and D4S.

Fake Paparazzi Photos of a Fake Celebrity… and Real Star-Struck Tourists

This past Valentines day, photographer Kendrick Brinson was tasked with what she calls "the strangest assignment" of her career thus far. She was asked by OZY magazine with shooting as a fake paparazzi photographer, chasing after editor Sanjena Sathian as she walked the sidewalks of Hollywood Boulevard through crowds of tourists. Sathian later published an account of the experience in a story titled "Almost Famous."

A Frog Riding a Beetle: Is This a Real Wildlife Photo or a Bunch of BS?

Photos of a frog riding a beetle have been flooding the Internet over the past month. Think it looks cute and adorable? Reactions to the series of photos have been split between blind praise and outrage over the authenticity of the photo-story and welfare of the subjects. So, did this scene really occur naturally as claimed? We don't think so, and here's why.

Nikon Warns That There Are Fake D800E DSLRs Out in the Wild

Heads up: there are fake Nikon D800E DSLRs floating around. That's according to Nikon Europe, which posted a notice "regarding fraudulent Nikon D800E digital SLR." Apparently some unscrupulous folk are taking the D800, replacing its outer shell with the D800E cover, and selling the fake cameras through online auction sites (presumably eBay).

Photographer Recreates Cliché Romantic Vacation Photos With Complete Strangers in France

After being invited to France for an artist residency, London-based photographer Hemya Moran decided to create a new life... in photographs of course.

Inspired by the romantic aura that surrounds the town of Deauville where she was staying, she decided to approach complete strangers and reenact the many cliché romantic stock images she stumbled across when she first Googled the city.

It’s Official: A.I.s are Now Re-Writing History

The other day I created a Google+ album of photos from our holiday in France. Google’s AutoAwesome algorithms applied some nice Instagram-like filters to some of them, and sent me emails to let me have a look at the results. But there was one AutoAwesome that I found peculiar. It was this one, labeled with the word “Smile!” in the corner, surrounded by little sparkle symbols.

It’s a nice picture, a sweet moment with my wife, taken by my father-in-law, in a Normandy bistro. There’s only one problem with it. This moment never happened.

Dutch Girl Fakes a 5-Week Vacation to South East Asia by Posting Phoney Photos to Facebook

Dutch graphic design student Zilla van den Born recently conducted an interesting experiment on the power of phoney and misleading photos on social media. For five weeks, Zilla tricked her family and Facebook friends into thinking that she was on a long and exciting vacation through South East Asia. In reality, she never even set foot outside of her home city of Amsterdam.

Couple Scammed by Fauxtographer Passing Off Stolen Images as His Own

Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon to hear about fauxtographers stealing other photographers work and passing it off as their own. Heck, there’s an entire website dedicated to shaming the scam artists who do this. But despite the distinct possibility that you'll be caught and have your career destroyed if you do this, it continues to happen.

Case in point is a recent situation involving Lin and Jirsa Photography and the tale of how their images were stolen and used by an unnamed photographer to entice new wedding clients with work that wasn’t his own.

Deceptively Beautiful Food Photos Feature Meals Made of LEGO, Sponges, Shaving Cream and More

Second to actual food, there's nothing more appetizing than feasting your eyes on some beautiful food photography. Perfectly-crafted meals with just the right amount of sauce and the perfect garnish all contribute to the mouth-watering photography we come across.

This series from Australian photographer T.Q. Lee, however, is going to require a second look. Because if you look closely, you'll quickly realize that these are not the kinds of meals you want to sink your teeth into.

Canon Shares PSA to Help Protect Your Camera From Potentially Hazardous 3rd Party Batteries

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This isn’t the first time Canon has done this, but once again they’re sending out a PSA in regards to counterfeit gear, most often purchased online. This time, the PSA is in regards to batteries and the above video walks through the real versus the fake by taking a look at the outside, as well as popping it open and taking a look inside.

TIME Addresses the Fake Ruined Negatives from the Robert Capa D-Day Documentary

A month ago we shared with you a video documenting the story behind the ‘lost’ negatives famed conflict photographer Robert Capa captured on D-Day.

In the documentary, there’s a moment where the empty rolls of film are shown, emulsion gone and the plastic worn and tattered. Many of us probably didn’t think twice about the negatives that were shown, but A.D. Coleman and Rob McElroy did, and what they found out was a bit shocking, especially coming from a publication as respected as TIME.

After Six Years of Poking Fun of Canon, the Man Behind ‘Fake Chuck Westfall’ Comes Forward

It was announced last week on the Fake Chuck Westfall Twitter account that the controversial Fake Chuck Westfall blog would be taking a permanent hiatus. The center of plenty of controversy since its inception, the Fake Chuck Westfall blog has had an interesting existence, marred by legal action and takedown threats, and helped along by the Streisand effect.

Now, as the blog prepares to go offline for good, the man behind the site has come forward for the very first time, revealing his identity and the story behind the controversial blog through a PDN interview and his own final blog post

‘Spirit Photo’ Forgeries Prove Fake Photo Controversies Existed Way Before Adobe

Spirit photography, a type of photography which claims to capture ghosts and spirits via a photographic process, dates back to the middle of the 19th century. Photographers would act as "mediums" to the spiritual realm and do their best to pull a fast one on unsuspecting customers.

This particular series of images was captured by photographers Craig and George Falconers, a pair of charlatans who worked in the early part of the 20th century.

Plagiarized Photography Portfolios are Now Just One Click Away…

You know, it used to be even photography thieves had to put some work in if they wanted to get a bit of dishonest business, but a new project by the name of Pro-folio shows that just a little bit of code can make stealing photos and creating a whole fake portfolio a one-click affair.

Photog Drills Through His iPhone’s Camera to Make Lanyard in Cringeworthy Fake DIY

I'm a self-described Apple fanboy, and even I found this funny, but if you're adverse to seeing beautifully engineered tech destroyed before your very eyes you might want to skip this one. On the other hand, if you're an Android fanboy (or girl) who harbors a deep hate for Apple, this could be therapeutic.

In the fake DIY video above, Newtography's Andrew Newlun sets out to show you how to turn a brand new iPhone into a handy-dandy keychain lanyard by drilling a hole right through the iPhone's camera.

Verily: A Women’s Magazine with a Strict ‘No Photoshop’ Policy

It turns out that it does exist: a magazine that prides itself on not altering their models' faces or bodies in Photoshop. Verily is a fashion and lifestyle magazine aimed at women 18 to 35, and even though that is prime demographic territory when it comes to Photoshop use, the whole purpose of the magazine is to at least begin reversing this trend.

Instagram and Anxiety of the Photographer – Part I

Over a half a billion Apple iOS and Android systems have been sold, which means that there are now an unprecedented number of cameras in the world. This monumental increase in smartphone cameras has allowed for the dramatic increase of photos uploaded to social media sites.

I’m often overwhelmed by the fact that I can upload photos to Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Flickr, 500px, VSCOcam, Artflakes, Snapchat, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest, EyeEM, and on, and on, and on. Through such apps, a half billion photos are uploaded to the Internet each day. The sheer scale and accelerated growth of mobile photography and social media integration, which I’ll call the new photography, has quickly changed photography in just a few short years.

Ridiculous Lumia 1020 KIRF Boasts a ’41-Megaplxel’ Speaker Instead of the Camera

Most everyone is familiar with knockoffs -- some might even own a couple -- but when it comes to the world of tech the general wisdom is to stay far away. A Prado purse or Foakley sunglasses aren't going to be much of an issue, but a fake Canon speedlight can become a serious problem.

Of course there's a big difference between a knockoff and what's referred to as a KIRF (keeping it real fake) product, and the most recent fake we've run across is just that: a Lumia 1020 look-alike that boasts '41-megaplxels' of audio performance where the PureView camera should be.

How to Spot a Fake Canon Flash… And How I Learned the Hard Way

One of the two Canon Speedlite flashes above is fake. Can you tell which one?

About a month ago I walked into the Canon Quick Repair Centre in Shanghai. I had a minor problem with a Canon 580 EX II: the high-speed sync refused to work.

Controversy Erupts After Stolen Picture Wins Samsung Photo Contest

One of the downsides to living in an uber-connected digital world is the ease with which intellectual property can be stolen. Whichever bogus excuse they choose to use, many people seem less than concerned when it comes to stealing someone's photography and claiming it as their own these days.

One such person is Instagram user @bogdhan, who recently won Samsung's 'Live in the Moment' Instagram contest (and an NX300) using a photo that he never actually took.

Photo Analysis Accuses Some Photogs of Faking Cute Animal Photos in Cruel Ways

Photographs like the one above by photographer Shikhei Goh go viral on a fairly regular basis. If the stories are to be believed, given enough patience and a little (or a lot) bit of luck, animals can be captured doing all sorts of amazing things.

According to an analysis published on Weibo, however, the stories can't (or rather shouldn't) be believed. Photos like these, the article claims, are staged by photographers who force pet store animals into awkward and unnatural poses.

New Algorithm Can Pick Out Photo Fakes by Looking at Shadows

As post-production software continues to become more and more powerful, researchers are doing their best to keep up by developing new methods of spotting digital photo fakes. In the past, we've seen that noise patterns and even Twitter trends can help spot fakes, but a new method out of UC Berkeley is taking a look at something else entirely: the shadows.

Faked World War I Dogfight Pictures Go On Auction Block

They're some of the most dramatic photographic documents of air combat in World War I, showing planes diving at each other, crashing in flames and pilots ejecting. And they're all completely bogus.

That hasn't stopped the work of Wesley David Archer from becoming famous and somewhat coveted, as attested by an upcoming Australian auction of his images.