Photographers Who Got Caught Cheating

Thomas Heaton
22 Nov 202315:30
EducationalLearning
32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRThe video discusses examples of photographers manipulating or 'cheating' in photo competitions by doing things like cloning out objects or using stuffed animals as subjects. Though some cases seem harmless, like removing a bit of litter, others violated strict contest rules against altering wildlife images. One photographer even used AI-generated images to make a statement about lax screening processes. The narrator seems amused by photographers trying to get away with minor tweaks but expresses respect for prestigious wildlife competitions. Overall, the video explores themes around photo manipulation ethics and how contests determine what crosses the line.

Takeaways
  • 😲 Several photographers have been caught manipulating images to try to win photography competitions
  • 😡 There are strict rules against image manipulation in most major photography competitions
  • 🤔 Some minor edits like cloning out distractions may be more acceptable
  • 😠 Swapping an animal's ears is clearly cheating
  • 😂 The plane edit was pretty funny/cheeky
  • 🚫 Wildlife photography competitions have very strict rules against manipulation
  • 😠 Using a trained wolf instead of a wild wolf is seriously cheating
  • 😮 AI generated images are causing issues in photo competitions
  • 🤨 Judges wrongly accused a real photo of being AI generated
  • 👀 Photographers may have to prove their images are not AI going forward
Q & A

  • What was the first example of a disqualified image from a photography competition?

    -An image was disqualified from the World Press Photo competition because the photographer cloned out a tiny bit of a shoe or foot in the background.

  • Why was the National Geographic competition winning image disqualified?

    -The original image had some litter - a plastic bag - in the right side of the frame. The photographer cloned it out, breaking the strict no manipulation rules.

  • What manipulation led to the disqualification of the dramatic elephant image?

    -The photographer had tidied up the elephant's torn left ear, smoothing it off. Manipulating the content of images is prohibited.

  • What was the issue with the award-winning image of an Iberian wolf?

    -It turned out that the wolf in the image was actually a trained, tame wolf that you can hire for filming/photography. So it wasn't a true wildlife shot.

  • How was the anteater image revealed to be fake?

    -An anonymous source reported it, and experts confirmed it was the stuffed anteater that sits at the entrance to a National Park in Brazil.

  • What did the AI surfing image demonstrate?

    -The photographer revealed it was AI to prove a point - that the competition needed more stringent image checking processes.

  • Why was the image with two mannequins assumed to be AI?

    -The eerie look led judges to assume it was AI. But the photographer revealed it was just a phone shot, demonstrating issues with assumptions.

  • What is the biggest concern about AI raised in the video?

    -That people will start assuming great images are AI generated rather than giving photographers credit. The onus may shift to proving images are not AI.

  • What were some common reasons images were disqualified?

    -Manipulating content by cloning, using stuffed or trained animals, creating composite images, and generating images with AI.

  • What can we learn from these stories of photography competition disqualifications?

    -Entrants need to carefully read competition rules and not manipulate images. Also that AI is creating new challenges for judging image authenticity.

Outlines
00:00
😲 Disqualified images from photo competitions

The first paragraph introduces the topic of photographers manipulating images to win competitions and facing disqualification when caught. It mentions a recent newsletter covering this and intent to provide more examples. An image with minor cloning that was kicked out is shown - the rules are strict. A sponsor, Squarespace, is also introduced.

05:00
🤨 More questionable disqualifications

The second paragraph continues by showing some additional images that were questionably disqualified in the author's opinion. The rules seem inconsistent and harsh. Squarespace is promoted again as a platform for easily building websites.

10:00
😡 Serious manipulation and cheating

The third paragraph transitions to more serious and audacious manipulation by photographers to win competitions. Examples include a composite plane added to an image and a wildlife image using a trained pet presented as wild. There is strong condemnation for manipulating wildlife images in particular.

15:02
😲 Stuffed animals and AI images causing issues

The fourth paragraph shows additional egregious examples involving wildlife images - one using a stuffed animal and another suspected to be AI generated. There is debate around the actual veracity of the images. The author reflects on how AI imagery will cause suspicion and challenges going forward.

Mindmap
Keywords
💡photography competition
The video discusses several examples of photographers manipulating or 'cheating' in photography competitions in order to win. These are prestigious competitions with strict rules against altering images.
💡image manipulation
This refers to photographers digitally altering their images in post-production, such as removing distracting elements via cloning or compositing multiple images. This is generally prohibited in photography competitions.
💡wildlife photography
A genre of photography discussed in the video. Wildlife competitions have especially strict rules against manipulating images. Two examples are shown of entrants passing off staged or taxidermy animals as legitimate wildlife shots.
💡AI-generated images
Towards the end, the video discusses suspicion around AI-generated images entered into competitions. Two examples are shown - one disqualified for being AI, another falsely accused.
💡photoshop
Used as a verb to mean digitally manipulating an image. The video states that accusations have shifted from "that's photoshopped" to "that's AI".
💡cloning
A common Photoshop technique used to remove distracting elements by copying over them with texture from the surrounding area.
💡cropping
Along with cloning, the video states this is one of the most powerful editing tools. Cropping out distractions would violate competition rules.
💡composite image
An image created by digitally combining multiple separate images, often from different sources. This would break the strict rules around image manipulation.
💡caption
In one example, the photographer's descriptive caption clearly implied the plane was genuine rather than digitally added.
💡raw file
Unprocessed image files straight from the camera sensor. Reviewing these would allow judges to check images are unmodified.
Highlights

Photographer cloned out a tiny bit of a shoe or foot in an image to win a competition

Photographer cloned out some litter in an award-winning National Geographic image

An elephant image was disqualified when it was revealed the photographer tidied up the elephant's torn left ear

The photographer denies manipulating the elephant's ear and claims it was an accident

Further analysis shows the elephant's ears were actually swapped, not just cloned

A winning Nikon photo contest entry had an airplane cloned out, with a false caption about it flying overhead

Wildlife photography competitions have very strict rules about manipulating images

A winning wolf image was actually a trained tame wolf, not a wild wolf

Another wildlife competition had a winning anteater image that turned out to be a taxidermy anteater

Some AI-generated images have won and then been disqualified from photo contests when revealed

One photographer entered an AI image to make a point about verification processes

A real photo was assumed to be AI and kicked out of a contest

AI images may cause people to doubt all exceptional photography

Photographers may have to prove images are not AI generated

Links provided to read photographers' perspectives on disqualified images

Transcripts

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