The claim

A photo shows a heron in the water. The image gives the impression of having been manipulated through editing.

Our conclusion

The photo is real and was not created through image editing, but through a unique perspective, special image composition and lighting conditions, which created an optical illusion.

Surreal photo of a heron causes “knots in the brain”

There is speculation on the Internet that the photo of the heron in the water was subsequently edited using Photoshop or other image editing software. When you look at the photo you can't explain how the elements of the picture are put together. – It seems to be divided into two parts.

Screenshot Facebook
Screenshot Facebook ( archived here )

It was noted in this posting that this is not a photomontage. Nevertheless, some users have doubts or cannot explain how this photo was taken.

The fact check

The photo comes from Japanese photographer Kenichi Ohno. What you see in the photo is a heron standing in shallow water. Behind him is a concrete wall that extends into the water. The lighting conditions on the windless evening on which Ohno took the photo provide the color. The combination of natural light, the reflection of the wall and perfect timing resulted in this impressive shot. It appears as if the heron is moving from one image to another.

The picture is called “Gap”, or rather it was submitted with the title “Hedatari” (in German: “separation”) for the 39th competition for photographic works about nature in Japan . Ohno's work was awarded a special competition prize to the applause of one judge, who described it as "interesting because it is not easy to understand how it was received."

Various photography experts and the competition jury have confirmed the image as a real, unmanipulated shot. Kenichi Ohno himself reported that he tried to take such a photo again on another day. However, it was impossible for him to recreate the same scene, which makes the uniqueness of this shot all the more significant.

“I feel from the bottom of my heart that photography is an art form shaped by a chance encounter.”

Kenichi Ohno ( asahi.com )

The local conditions were depicted in a Facebook post

If you take a look at the second picture, which shows the concrete walls, you can see that they are sharply defined in the water - just like in the photo by Kenichi Ohno.

questions and answers

Question 1: How was the picture created?
Answer 1: The image was taken with a camera, with the photographer using a concrete wall and its reflection in the water to create an optical illusion.

Question 2: Is the photo real or edited with image editing software?
Answer 2: The photo is real and has not been digitally edited.

Question 3: Why did the photo go viral?
Answer 3: The photo went viral due to the optical illusion and the difficulty of immediately understanding the scene.

Conclusion

This photo by Kenichi Ohno is a wonderful example of how nature and human perspective can come together to create stunning works of art. It reminds us that not everything that seems unreal at first glance has to be created through digital manipulation. Let's be inspired to look closely at the world around us and appreciate the wonders of nature. Let's not be fooled by spectacular images and question the stories they tell.

Source: asahi.com , photo-asahi.com , PetaPixel , My Modern Met

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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )