The Case of the Vanishing Microphone Stand (NYT Fabulous Fake Photography)

LGF ^ | 8/28/2006 | LGF

[Dallas59]

The "photographer" explains: "If you look carefully at the frame, you will see a slightly wide band of dark area that runs from the head of a marine with dark hair in the back row up to the singer. Look carefully at the wall from that marine’s head up to the top of the frame and you will see the blurred cable that was in motion because the dancer was moving it as she spoke to the marines. The full cable is in the shot but is blurred. The reason it isn’t sharp is because the frame was shot at 1/6 of a second in a room that was dark. The flash filled in the frame but wasn’t the main light, the room light provided the main light for the frame. The long exposure balanced the light from the strobe on my camera with the ambient light in the room. The cable was moving as was the singer and the marines. If you look carefully at the frame, you’ll see that nothing in the frame is tack/crisp sharp. I looked in the paper that I got out here and know that the reproduction left the wire virtually invisible.

It could happen...

[Dallas59]

The microphone stand has been erased. Not that it matters...

From Little Green Footballs

[socal_parrot]

Posted before, but any opportunity to scope those legs is a good thing....

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1691434/posts

[Orange1998]

Excellent investigation but I don't see the point.

[Dallas59]

Well...did a search...Alot different titles I guess....

[sit-rep]

Looks to me like they just did away with the mic cord. Who said there was a stand?

[cripplecreek]

I'm just hoping it doesn't show up on the news as an overeager attempt by bloggers to "catch" something. Erasing a microphone stand to make a better picture makes sense in this case.

[Dallas59]

What stand?

[WoofDog123]

i think this could be an erroneous accusation.

1) i think they circled the wrong guy's head, there is in fact a guy with dark hair directly below the microphone cord blur, but he is in the back of the crowd to the right of the red circle. i have no idea why the guy circled far to the left of the blur is highlighted, he has nothing to do with the area in question.

2) at 1/6th, a moving microphone cord WOULD blur.

obviously other pics of the event would answer at least some of this, for example was there a microphone stand present?

[Dallas59]

Yes. The NYT doesn't have to fire anybody over this slight altercation....or remove any photos.

[mwyounce]

What stand?

What Marines?

[Dallas59]

What?

[cripplecreek]

I'm just surprised that looterguy or green helmet haven't arrived on the scene.

[ElkGroveDan]

As I said before it must have been a woman or a gay guy who discovered this. My eyes can only focus on one part of the picture.

BTW: as a semi experienced photo person, I don't think it's been tampered with and I believe the photog. Look at the hand of the soldier in the front row. It's moving in a blur. There was a really long shutter speed here. In the areas beyond the fill-flash things will be blurred.

[sit-rep]

The microphone stand has been erased. Not that it matters...

You said the microphone stand was erased... I asked how you knew that? No biggy here man...I was just goin by your original comment.

[mwyounce]

I don't even see the Marines in the photo...

[colorado tanker]

My question is why was anyone looking at anything other than those gams???

[oyez]

The heck with mic stand, got anymore leg shots?

[BallyBill]

"Is that a mic stand in your pocket or are you just glad to see me?"

[WoofDog123]

I agree, LGF is going to spend some of its credibility chasing this one. 1/6th will blur almost anything not sitting absolutely still.

[ElkGroveDan]

i think they circled the wrong guy's head, there is in fact a guy with dark hair directly below the microphone cord blur, but he is in the back of the crowd to the right of the red circle.

agreed -- see below