This Is the Stupidest Fake Photo of Something Interesting That Actually Happened
An international news website, Chronik.fr, claimed today that a photographer captured an incredible photo of an eagle carrying a slice of pizza in a “shocking urban encounter.” The lead image is obviously fake, but the story is not. In fact, it’s a great story, which is why we covered it when it happened in March 2023.
Nature photographer Doug Gemmell captured the incredible photos below on March 8, 2023, in Connecticut.
“I went out to Wethersfield Cove in CT looking to capture photos of some eagles,” Gemmell told PetaPixel in March 2023. “My hope was to capture action shots of them either fishing or playing together in the sky. To do this I will walk around the cove on the path and stay close to the water so I can watch for any action.”
Among the anticipated action was a juvenile bald eagle swooping down, grabbing a slice of pepperoni pizza, and then making its escape, pizza clutched in its talons.
“I grabbed more photos of the eagle being chased by crows before heading out of sight. I don’t know if he even was able to eat the pizza because the crows wanted that slice as well,” Gemmell said.
“An eagle grabbing a pizza lends itself to fun conversation,” the photographer joked. “Our national bird even likes a good pepperoni slice.”
It’s an interesting, albeit somewhat concerning, sequence of events, and one that Gemmell, a passionate nature photographer, expertly captured.
“I have hundreds of photographs with eagles flying, eating, carrying grass sticks and food to nests,” Gemmell explains. “I love them so much, their beauty and gracefulness is amazing to me.”
So, when I read a headline today, November 7, about an eagle grabbing a slice of pizza, I immediately thought of Gemmell’s photos. Then I saw the photo Chronik used and thought two things:
- That’s obviously a fake slice of pepperoni pizza that has been lazily added to a photo of an eagle in flight.
- That’s actually Gemmell’s photo, poorly and unethically edited.
Chronik, which claims copyright over its edited photo despite what I would describe as work that fails to meet any standard of transformative work, also slightly rotated Gemmell’s actual photo and then added a vignette. It is not just lazy and stupid, but it’s downright wrong.
So I’m taking this opportunity to point out, at least to this corner of the web, that nature photographer Doug Gemmell really did witness and expertly photograph a fascinating event in nature, and one that invites meaningful reflection on how modern society and wildlife intersect. If you want to see other real photos of eagles, Gemmell remains a passionate photographer and regularly shares new photos, including of beautiful bald eagles, on his Facebook page.
Image credits: Real, actual photos by Doug Gemmell
