Is this pic real or Photoshop-ed?

[HeatherJay]

I got it in an e-mail. Supposedly it is real, but all I know is that I would be outta there if I was sitting on that surf board.

 

[HeatherJay]

Here's a few more from the same e-mail :

 

[PaperSword]

real or not, they look koo. i have no knowledge of determining such.

 

[Ginsu]

That shark pic does look real. If photoshoped, well done I say.

 

[draper]

The Shark's fin looks a bit..odd, near the top. The mountain has 2 odd black lines on the right hand side...other than that, the cloud is certainly...unusual, but I guess not impossible. The one with the sun is definitely possible from the logstics standpoint..but is it normally that dark when the sun is out? The lightning one is not impossible, but that'd probably be a hard one to take.

I'm definitely not a graphics expert, so don't take those guesses as Gospel..because thats all they are, guesses. lol

 

[opus_dei]

thought i doubt it, let's work on the assumption that it's real....

i'm not entirely sure that it's a shark. based on the shape of the dorsal fin (and the fluke-like tail) it would lead me to believe that it's a picture of a dolphin and not a shark.

either way i'd be out of the water right quick.

 

[opus_dei]

actually, much to my amazement the photo is real and it is a dolphin. schnikes!

if you click on the linky the shooter has the same pic a few frames later where the fin is cutting thru the water:

http://www.surfshooter.com/DolphinInfo.html

 

[HeatherJay]

That dolphin looks huge! Is it just an effect of the water making it look bigger? Or are dolphins really that big? My first thought would be "SHARK!!!!" and then I'd scream like a little girl until someone swam out to save me. No way I'd be putting my arms and legs back in the water.

 

[opus_dei]

Large bottlenose dolphins in the Pacific may be 3.7 m (12 ft.) and weigh 454 kg (1,000 lb.)

http://www.seaworld.org/infobooks/Bottlenose/phychardol.html

i'm going to take the easy guess and say it's a male. that's a big fish, eh? lol.

 

[Piano Player]

The one with the sun is definitely possible from the logstics standpoint..but is it normally that dark when the sun is out?

They are nice photographs, and someday even the experts will not be able to verify if a photograph is real.

To answer the question, a shot taken straight into the sun is usually underexposed because the sun fools the meter. Many people like the effect. One of the magical aspects of photography is that we can make any picture as dark as we want just by underexposing. Most Hollywood "night" scenes are shot during the day, underexposed, and sometimes through a blue filter. That way the director and actors can see what they are doing.

 

[Mr Hako]

without being pedantic, dolphins are not fish; sharks are.

all those photos look real to me, (the lightning shot being slightly suspicious)

 

[JessieFL]

The dolphin shot with the surfer is fantastic!

 

[opus_dei]

without being pedantic, dolphins are not fish; sharks are.

all those photos look real to me, (the lightning shot being slightly suspicious)

i was joking.

 

[BrItTeR042788]

well since my dad could do the one with the lightening its probably fake because he can do that with anything with photoshop and the shark looks REALLY real and the one is how someone stands with the sun and the area and stuff..

 

[DUV]

L@@ks like photoshop 2me. Could be wrong

DUV

 

[Miss Mayberry]

I'm a little skeptical of the shark/dolphin picture. What are the chances of someone having a camera when a 15-foot+ creature comes within five feet of a surfer, who, by the way, is just sitting there, while he's about to be pummeled by the huge wave?

 

[LessThanJess]

actually, much to my amazement the photo is real and it is a dolphin. schnikes!

if you click on the linky the shooter has the same pic a few frames later where the fin is cutting thru the water:

http://www.surfshooter.com/DolphinInfo.html

For those who think it's PS'd check out that link that opus_dei posted... looks pretty real to me...

 

[michabo]

I'm a little skeptical of the shark/dolphin picture. What are the chances of someone having a camera when a 15-foot+ creature comes within five feet of a surfer, who, by the way, is just sitting there, while he's about to be pummeled by the huge wave?

Low, but you're looking at one exceptional picture from a photographer who has spent years and probably many hundreds of thousands of pictures.

 

[HeatherJay]

Low, but you're looking at one exceptional picture from a photographer who has spent years and probably many hundreds of thousands of pictures.

Excellent point. You can't plan for a picture like that, definitely.

 

[CaliforniaJames]

The dolphin looks real. And the surfer isn't sitting there, it looks like he was about to dive under the wave. If he didn't realize there were dolphins swimming around, then he probably just about had a heart attack seeing the dolphin pop out of the wave in front of him. Although, if they're coming up that close it be surprising if he didn't know they were around.

The rest of the images look fine, except for the lightning, which I'm skeptical about. But it's possible...

-Jim