A Trick of the Light: Famous Photo Hoaxes
Modern photography goes far beyond taking still-life snapshots to commemorate your holiday tan; with advanced techniques and computer manipulation, you can make almost anything appear on the glossy paper of your photo print. Of course, these powers should only be used for good, and when they are incredible art and even social commentary can be created.
On the slightly darker side of photo manipulation are the hoaxes, and although we don’t recommend trying to replicate them, it can’t be denied that they have a fascinating and rich history – and can show us just how much is possible with a camera and as much imagination as you can get your hand on.
The Cottingley Fairies
Is this the most famous photo hoax of all time? The two cousins Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths have gone down in history for their 5 shots which appeared to show them playing with fairies. Although the original pictures were taken in 1917, it took until the 70s for them to be definitively debunked. Although Elsie’s father was never convinced, they captured the imagination of an era of spiritualism and discovery – with Arthur Conan Doyle being among those captivated.
After seeing the photos gather a following, the girls were understandably reluctant to give themselves up, as Frances said: “Two village kids and a brilliant man like Conan Doyle – well, we could only keep quiet.” Even today, it’s difficult not to see why so many people wanted to believe; the fairies may not be real, but their magic seems to live on.
The Surgeon’s Photo
There are dozens of sightings, ‘photographs’ and other claims which attempt to provide evidence of Nessie – The Loch Ness Monster – but of all of them, the 1934 ‘Surgeon’s Photo’ is still our favourite. Surrounded with intrigue, the picture itself is relatively tame, showing little more than a mysterious slender neck out in the water. The surgeon responsible for taking the picture would not have his name attached to it and sceptics were immediately, well, sceptical – but all this only added to the picture’s dramatic effect.
In 1984, the photograph was finally analysed by Stewart Campbell, who proved that it could not depict the monster that it claimed to. In a final twist, a man called Christian Spurley came forwards at the age of 90 to confess his part in the prank, and tell the world that their famous shot of Nessie actually consisted of a toy submarine fitted with a sea monster head! Was this the truth, or yet another element of the hoax?
Snowball
For a more contemporary photo hoax we turn to Snowball the cat, an image made on a computer, but professing to show a real life cat of gigantic proportions. Even back in the early 2000s, when the software used to stretch, contort and otherwise change images had become quite common, it seems that people were eager to believe the impossible, especially if it came accompanied by apparent proof.
Unlike the other hoaxes we’ve explored, the Snowball photo was debunked by its creator – who was amazed to see something that he’d intended as a small joke for friends and family on shows such as Good Morning America.
The Mammoth Potato Hoax
Not as famous as the other hoaxes on our list, but every bit as entertaining… not least because it all centres around the humble spud. In 1894 an enlarged image of the potato in question was created and then posed with, in an image that was meant to be used as an advert, not taken seriously. Unfortunately for Scientific American, nobody gave them the memo, and they published it as news. The creators were delighted, and more than a little amused.
All of this creativity probably has you itching to take some snaps yourself, and if you want to take some really amazing shots then you might well be thinking: ‘it’s time to sell my camera and get something new!’ If so then we’d love to help you out with our great camera exchange service – get in touch at 0208 371 4179 to find out more!
