Funniest photography thread I've ever seen...

[regnaD kciN]

A well-known, high-priced nature photographer tries to pass off an obviously-fake image as straight out-of-the-camera -- and, worse yet, provides an obviously-fake, "dramatic" story about how he made it -- and gets caught at it.

Maybe we might want to consider "mooning" as the subject for a future monthly contest?

[Stevenmarc]

1. Ugh, Peter Lik, the Thomas Kinkade of photography.

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. Don't know the photographer's work

but that simile says a lot!
( shudder)

[Mz Pip]

3. $5000 for that pic

Good grief. I don't have a problem with photoshopped images but be up front about what they are.

[regnaD kciN]

4. Be up front, AND...

...don't do such a shoddy job.

The fact is, photographers have been adding moons to nighttime or twilight images for years; before digital, people would do in-camera double-exposures. But, if you're going to do it, don't defy the laws of physics -- don't put the moon in front of the clouds on the horizon, don't make the dark side of the moon darker than the sky, don't have the moon oriented in a way that would be impossible at the shooting location, and, above all, don't have a front-lit moon in front of a sunset (which implies the sun is just below the horizon behind said front-lit moon).

As I mentioned elsewhere, I don't have a problem with images modified in the digital darkroom to capture the photographer's inner vision of the location rather than a straight capture. And there have been many images, from noted photographers, where I found the artist's insistence that everything was straight out of the camera with no manipulation pretty hard to swallow. But, if you're going to take artistic license with the photograph, at least don't come up with something that can clearly be seen as impossible according to the laws of physics and the astronomy of this solar system -- and then come up with a B.S. story about how you went to such great lengths to capture that scene using normal nature photography.

[Stevenmarc]

5. It doesn't come as a surprise

That Lik was a tad over enthusiastic in his description of his photo, he's more huckster than artist and it also comes as no surprise that his home base is Vegas, where his oversized, oversaturated, overpriced formulaic images sell well in a town where overblown is less of a style as it is a religion.

[regnaD kciN]

7. And, if you think Lik is over-the-top...

...check out this guy. If you have the stomach for it, read the Rangefinder story on how he's such a purist photographic master. Also notice how he seems to use the same moon image in all his "city skyline by night" photos.

[regnaD kciN]

8. Then I assume you wouldn't be interested in attending this...

http://www.lik.com/news/newsarticle14/

[Stevenmarc]

9. ROFL

All one has to do to insure one has a spot at the event is pre-purchase his new print. Well if there is a God he'll shoot a few lightning bolts down and take out a roomful of people with more money than taste.

[Celebration]

6. LOL, con man or photographer?

Ridiculous. What a liar!