“Rising the Flag over Reichstag” by Yevgeny Khaldi (May 2, 1945)
If “the camera never lies” the expression certainly does. The art of photography shows us every day the naked and raw world, but can also easily be used as an instrument of reality manipulation.
One of the most iconic images of World War II is that of a Soviet soldier to lift the Soviet Union flag over the Reichstag in Berlin. Captured by Yevgeny Khaldeithis photograph became a symbol of victory over Nazism, but several elements of the image were manipulated, recalls.
The soldier holding the flag wore two clocks, presumably looted, which violated the Red Army’s Code of Conduct. To avoid scandals, these details were erased from the image. In addition, the scene will have occurred at night, but the photograph was manipulated to look daytime. The identity of the soldier remains, to this day, a mystery.
“Void Jump”, Yves Klein
In 1960, French artist Yves Klein created an image that still intrigues the world today: the iconic photography shows its own jumping from a building, apparently to emptiness, which would make the man – surprisingly careless – very strongly in cement.
However, The truth came 50 years later: This was a photographic montage made from two images-one with Klein throwing himself on a safe cloth by friends, and one from Empty Street. The other men were erased from the final image, thus creating the illusion of the “impossible leap.”
“Mussolini a Cavallo”, Luigi Leoni
“Mussolini a Cavallo”, De Luigi Leoni, 20 De Março de 1937.
Fascist advertising has always been able to use the image to your advantage. An obvious example is the photograph of Benito Mussolini Horse, wielding the so -called “Sword of Islam”, captured by Luigi Leoni.
The intention of the Italian regime was to reinforce the image of Mussolini as a strong and close leader of the Muslim world after the colonization of Libya. But everything was staged: the employees who held the horse were erased from the image, and the so -called Islamic sword had actually been made in Florence.
The image that gave rise to Luigi Leoni’s “Mussolini on horseback”, March 20, 1937.
“The Fallen Soldier”, Robert Capa
Iconic War photographer, Capura captured an image in 1936 that would become a symbol of the Spanish Civil War: a republican soldier at the exact moment when he is mortally hit.
For decades, photography has been regarded as an example of journalistic courage and happily chance. But after the death of a cover, doubts arose about the authenticity of the image.
The landscape does not correspond to the place where it was allegedly taken, and the negative of the photo was never found among the files delivered to the International Center for Photography. The lack of evidence and contradictory versions given by cover over the years feed the suspicion that the image may have been staged.
The 13 of Leeds
This is a different case here remembered by National Geographic, but it shows how photography can move the public of a country, easy and effective. This is what thirteen art students at the University of Leeds in England managed to do it.
In 1998, the group simulated a luxury vacation in Spain without ever leaving the UK. The images showed us tanning in the sun, drinking cocktails, and enjoying the beach. British sensational newspapers fell into the trap and condemned the alleged waste of public money.
Only later did students reveal the truth: everything had been staged with props, artificial light and photographic tricks. Implicit social criticism – on the media and public credulity – it was so effective that it earned them the maximum grade in their academic project.
Bigfoot? The Mystery of Frame 352
The famous Frame 352 in the 1967 Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin movie, where the mythical Bigfoot is alleged to walk through a California stream, is another flagrant example of how the lies chamber.
While some see an unknown creature in the passage of the short film, others point to a man within a fact. To this day, there is no consensus on the authenticity of the shoot.
