You might believe the following photos were award worthy — the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency did. The agency awarded nature photographer Terje Helleso the honor of Nature Photographer of the Year in 2010 for his images of endangered animals.
You may be impressed too, but know this: he used stock photos and photoshop and lied.
Animal conservationist Gunnar Gloerson was not so impressed. You see, Helleso didn’t pay too much attention to the details. UPI has more:
“Doesn’t this lynx in the July greenery have a winter fur (see above photo)? How about the lynx that’s reflected in the pool, is it walking in the air or on land, and can you really see the paws in that angle?” Gloerson wrote in a blog Aug. 26.
Gloerson questioned claims by Helleso that the photographer has seen 150 lynx in nine months, when Gloersen had only seen 15 in 52 years of wildlife study.
On Saturday, Helleso admitted to the photo manipulations.
PetaPixel reveals the stock photos that were used to create Helleso’s photos. Pictured below are the stock photo and Helleso’s doctored image.
PetaPixel also points out that Helleso said this while accepting his award last year:
We nature photographers should never forget the responsibility we have with our images, from both a documentary and artistic perspective.
The Swedish EPA is still reviewing whether or not Helleso will be able to keep his title. Why is that even still on the table?
[H/T Gizmodo]
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Comments (49)
The Bees Know
Sep. 8, 2011 at 9:18pmThe judges were fools. Anyone in the position of deciding such an honor should be able to recognize manipulated photography.
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Ruler4You
Sep. 9, 2011 at 8:57amThe purpose for taking “award” winning photos is so you can copyright the damn thing. If science is fabricating ‘evidence’ to support it’s own agenda, why can’t people whose only function is to “create” an unique image do the same thing? You can’t believe what you see or read, much of the time these days anyway and there is no going back, there is no money in that. Government can’t open its mouth without lying at any level, the media can’t be trusted, schools are literally a fascicle play on the word ‘education’. Why should ‘integrity’ in anything even be a consideration these days? It only hinders those who play by the rules or have personal honor, a distinctly miniscule statistical value?
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Scruff
Sep. 8, 2011 at 3:53pmMy photo is unretouched, although I am bigger in real life (unless you have a really big monitor). I don’t like big cats, either.
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Black Manta
Sep. 8, 2011 at 4:06pmWho cares..the world is on it’s way to seven years of peace…I just pray I leave when the rapture come @ that time they say Peace and Safety…Praise the Lord Jesus Christ…
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chipmunk
Sep. 8, 2011 at 2:01pmhaha this is too funny! I’m not an artist or photog but I’d presume the award officials know a thing or two about photography etc… guess not. what dumbies. & what a deceitful liar this guy is. btw, the lynx looks far more beautiful in the original natural stock photo. what a beautiful animal.
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shakedowncrews
Sep. 8, 2011 at 12:07pmBwa ha ha ha haaa! Now their nature photography awards are worth as much as their Nobel Prize! NADA!!! ZILCH! NOTHING!
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Chuck Stein
Sep. 9, 2011 at 12:16pmActually, the Nobel prizes awarded by the Swedes are REAL — it is the Nobel peace prize (awarded by the Norwegians) that is worthless.
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TomFerrari
Sep. 8, 2011 at 12:02pmOnce you can get PAID to urinate on a crucifix in the name of “art,” there is NO definition of “art” any longer. Thus, any “award” has no significance.
Once you restore credibility to the profession, via self-imposed standards, you may get my attention again. Until then? It’s all just stuff to match the sofa, or stuff to TAKE MONEY from others.
Lowering the bar ONLY degrades the art community/profession as a whole.
RAISING the bar improves the product, and the reputation of artists.
For now, THEY CHOSE to lower the bar.
It is up to THEM to raise it again.
.
.
.
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mareseatoats
Sep. 8, 2011 at 1:20pmThat is so true. Denigrating another idea, only makes the whole purpose of Art, as a positive image in American life, completely unbelievable.
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OniKaze
Sep. 8, 2011 at 10:30amMan, what I wouldn’t give to raise a lynx. I love big cats, and in my youth raised a bobcat. I love large cats… Wish I could raise another.
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aquablue
Sep. 8, 2011 at 10:17amthe best picture is the stock photo. the photog’s photos are full of dead space with a little color.
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jimay
Sep. 8, 2011 at 10:08amThis guy goes into the http://youarenotaphotographer.com/ hall of fame when it opens.
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DanWesson455
Sep. 8, 2011 at 9:50amWhat is it with the Scandinavian Countries lately. Too much socialism. Liars and nuts running around loose.
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gsplgtr
Sep. 8, 2011 at 9:46amNATURE NAZIS lie all the time. why are some people shocked at this? What about the Spotted Owl situation? The list goes on and on!
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LibertyWon
Sep. 8, 2011 at 9:12amLook at all the free publicity. Maybe they picked him knowing that they could later get some PR out of the images being faked? I think they knew.
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jkendal
Sep. 8, 2011 at 8:46am“You may be impressed too, but know this: he used stock photos and photoshop and lied.”
It’s been proven that members of the partisan media routinely do this, too…..
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ScienceIsNotEvil
Sep. 11, 2011 at 1:21amI agree! We even had a major political figure using vicks vapor rub under his eyes so he could fake the appearance of crying for a set of publicity photos!
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Alan
Sep. 8, 2011 at 7:31amLefties giving lefties awards. What do you expect: art and integrity?
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piper60
Sep. 8, 2011 at 7:26amThese award committees need to do a little research before handing their awards out. Especially now in the era of photoshop.
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SShink
Sep. 8, 2011 at 8:54amRight-on…
I work in design and know how easy it is to visually spot or digitally find alterations in images.
What a bunch of dummies.
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babylonvi
Sep. 8, 2011 at 11:51amYea, like the Nobel Peace Prize.
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nuclearnavymom
Sep. 8, 2011 at 6:44amSorry didn’t think the first one went…
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nuclearnavymom
Sep. 8, 2011 at 6:42amTo quote Babs in Animal House: That boy is a P-I-G pig. LOL!
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nuclearnavymom
Sep. 8, 2011 at 6:37amLet me be the first to say it, you’re a pig, LOL.
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creativeogre
Sep. 8, 2011 at 4:48amOver the past few years, more and more photos in publications such as National Geographic have displayed photos that have been Photoshopped. I first noticed this back in a Katrina photo that was published, showing a flooded street… to bad the reflection of the street sign showed a different street name that the sign that was above water…
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tower7femacamp
Sep. 8, 2011 at 5:31amyou mean something can be faked ? like 911 ?
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shirtsbyeric
Sep. 8, 2011 at 7:07amOr both of Obama’s birth certificates?
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Chuck Stein
Sep. 9, 2011 at 12:18pmYes, TOWER, faked like all of that 9-11 conspiracy nonsense.
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Gypsy123
Sep. 8, 2011 at 3:28amLiberals are nothing but 100% lie but this is preaching to the choir. They give each other awards and brag on each other. How do they make their money this is what we need to know to be effective.
Cut off the legs to their easy chair.
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Detroit paperboy
Sep. 8, 2011 at 4:30amThe libs make thier money from grants , foundations , academia
and welfare. Capitalism can no longer afford socialism …
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loriann12
Sep. 8, 2011 at 6:11amJust like the line from Ghostbusters: (paraphrased) You’ve never worked in the private sector, they expect results.
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LibertyWon
Sep. 8, 2011 at 9:08amThey expect results from hard work, not cheating.
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Servant Of YHVH
Sep. 9, 2011 at 4:46amDon’t forget that the also make money stealing it from us!
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NotPoliticallyCorrect
Sep. 8, 2011 at 2:57amThat is utterly pathetic. Is this Al Gore’s son in law or something? LOL
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Carl1 Supports Israel
Sep. 8, 2011 at 10:26amProbably is Al’s lying little offspring…. May have raped some Massage Therapist and paid her off to raise the little bas*** like Arnold Schwarzenegger did.
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NOT A CRAZY
Sep. 8, 2011 at 2:32amAnother enviro-liar.
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capitalismrocks
Sep. 8, 2011 at 1:19amMore global climate change lies… they just keep being revealed day by day…
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hogtrashhd
Sep. 8, 2011 at 1:17amoh my.. these “art experts” are gullible.. I can barely see and the lynx sticks out like a sore thumb to my unsophisticated eyes.. I took my grandkids (10 and 6) to the art museum recently and they seen this HUGE canvas of a Jackson Pollock and asked me if a kid did it?? I said nope.. a man did it and made MILLIONS doing art like that.. they said they could do it and would be millionaires….I said they probably could.. hahahahaha..
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IreBelle
Sep. 8, 2011 at 1:09amReminds me of a president that once won a nobel………
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Tronix
Sep. 8, 2011 at 1:53amHonestly…..that Nobel prize is a shame not only for USA but the whole world….really. Putting aside all that Obama is and has done…..it is a real shame. But just looking that in fact is liberal prize from Sweden and Norway, and remembering the keynesian clown of Krugman……
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13th Imam
Sep. 8, 2011 at 10:23amBarry or Jimmy?? or both
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N37BU6
Sep. 8, 2011 at 1:08amLOL. It was clearly shopped to begin with… how did he fool anyone?
Terrible blending, unnatural saturation and tint. Clearly 2 layers.
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UlyssesP
Sep. 8, 2011 at 9:42amIt does look pretty lame uh? I’ve seen better photoshop work from students.
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