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Another doctored photo? Najib at Pekan….
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From Jeyasingam Veluppillai
No, these photos are NOT doctored!
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Saturday, March 09, 2013
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No, the debate isn’t over even when the photographer claims his photo was not messed around with!
To be frank, and meaning no offence to anyone, the photo of “tens of thousands” looks like a collage that school children create using “cut-and-paste” with scissors and gum. If there is some new kind of lens that gives such an effect, I must confess I am still ignorant of it.
Free Malaysia Today
About that unique photo…
FMT LETTER: From Ravinder Singh, via e-mail
A question was raised by many about the photo showing a crowd of “tens of thousands” at the Prime Minister’s Raya open house in Putrajaya.
It is indeed a unique photo. In my five decades of photography experience, I was never able to get a shot like this.
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Fish-eye lenses that give a really wide angle of view, and a distortion of objects nearer to the camera, also would not make giants of some in the rear part of the picture. Neither do telephoto or zoom lenses create greatly oversized or undersized images of people in a crowd stretching to the end of a hall.
My photos of crowds have always had a certain uniformity of decreasing size of the subjects in relation to the distance from the camera. Of course human bodies vary in size, but they do not vary so much as to appear as giants among a crowd of normal sized persons.
To be frank, and meaning no offence to anyone, the photo of “tens of thousands” looks like a collage that school children create using “cut-and-paste” with scissors and gum. If there is some new kind of lens that gives such an effect, I must confess I am still ignorant of it.
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EGG ON THE FACE FOR DAP SENATOR, S RAMAKRISHNAN!
NST
8 September 2012
WORK ETHIC: Bernama man denies senator’s claim he had doctored photo of PM’s Hari Raya open house
Read more: Photographer: Don’t insult me – General – New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/nation/general/photographer-don-t-insult-me-1.139887?cache=03D163D03edding-pred-1.1176%2F%3FpFpentwage63Dp%3A%2Fhe3D03Dn63Frea-rti3D19.3D163D03edding-pred-1.1176%2F%3FpFpentwage63Dp%3A%2Fhe3D03Dn63Frea-rti3D19.111w5ii%2Fed-1.1176%2F%2F2.2525%2F2.2525%2F1.33120%2F7.185538%3Fkey%3D%2F7.183967%2F7.183915#ixzz25yTuBQCd____________________________________________________________
*I made these comments when I first posted on the photo:
IS THIS A ‘PHOTO-SHOPPED’ PHOTO?
I hope the DAP senator knows what he is talking about or he’ll end up with egg on his face (and an expensive lawsuit)…
**The photographer has since come out to deny any modifcation, and he has a witness at the scene.
***Egg on your face, DAP senator? Law suit to follow?
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This is the photo that is disputed….
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The photographer speaks up in defence of his work!
Malaysia Chronicle
Friday, 07 September 2012 12:39
Najib’s ‘doctored’ Raya pic: It’s an insult – photographer
PUTRAJAYA- The photographer who covered the 2012 Aidilfitri open house of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and cabinet ministers on Aug 19 regrets that his picture has become a subject of dispute by an opposition party senator who alleged it had been doctored.
“Doctoring picture is not my work culture. In fact, it is not the work culture of any Bernama staff. The allegation is an insult,” said Harry Salzman Abu Bakar, a Bernama photograher.
He concurred with Bernama editor-in-chief Datuk Yong Soo Heong yesterday that the time factor was far too valuable for media personnel and they did not
have the time to do something irrational.
“I have many other duties and assignments to attend to in Putrajaya. We are professionals who record the things happening around us and in this case, to
convey and share the air of festivity with all and not done in the interest of any individual,” he said.
He confirmed that the picture splashed in the newspapers was taken by him without any addition by him or Bernama as it was a question of uncompromised integrity and credibility.
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Meanwhile NSTP photograher, Ahmad Irham Mohd Noor who was also at the function, voiced his regret over the senator’s allegation.
He said at that time, only Harry and him were following the prime minister around who had just arrived at the event and they were able to get on the stage with Najib to get the best angle.
“The angle was chosen for a wide coverage of the event which could only be taken from a high location.”
He said it was inappropriate for anyone to question the integrity and ethics of photographers as they were only doing an honest job of recording an actual event with “one picture that tells all”.
Meanwhile, Nikon Profesional Services Malaysia senior manager, Mahfooz NR said the two photographers made the correct move when taking pictures from a high angle to obtain the overall scene.
“To get an overall picture such as of a flood or any other natural disaster, the picture is best taken from a high angle like a helicopter, high building or
stage to get a ‘bird’s eye view’,” said the photography expert.
He said for the picture to be modified, it could be easily detected in the detailed data file of the picture.
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Malayasia Chronicle
Najib’s ‘doctored’ Raya pic: It’s an insult – photographer
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Malaysiakini
A picture that launched a thousand comments
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I have had a quick look at the picture, and noticed a few interesting features about it.
If we look at the top left half of the picture, we will see a sort of canopy made of fabric to provide shelter.
Now, take a look at the entire picture. We will notice two things. One, the whole crowd would be occupying a space of probably two or three soccer pitches. That means the canopy is very, very large. Two, those in front are all scrambling to take a picture, while those behind do not seem interested in this.
Read the rest of the article which goes into a detailed analysis of the phot: click on the link
A picture that launched a thousand comments
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Avan Khoo https://weehingthong.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/sri-per1.jpg
It does look strange that at the back, there’s too many “tiny heads” which appeared “way too clear” at the background. With a high contrast of “over-exposed” roof at the top of the photo, the crowd should also appear “overexposed”. Unless the camera is intelligent enough to differentiate it… But then, if it is so intelligent, the “over-exposure” wouldn’t even happen in the first place. Oooh… And do notice the balloons.. It appeared overly blurred at such a “Close distance” yet the “audience” is comparatively clear at further distance. One other good example is the object right above the flag on the left. It was so huge, at a closer distance than the people on the right, yet it appeared so over-exposed that you cannot make out what it is. How then could the people at the back be so clear?
Secondly, there is a clear “grid” between the people in front and the “tiny” people at the back. If it was an interesting event and people are gathered to watch it, wouldn’t they get closer? With such a distance at the back, would they even see anything?? My guess is, the front grid is all the people there is.
And if you zoom into the photo, you will see that the pixelation isn’t constant between the first grid to the second grid. The blurring was sudden, and larger at the back, compared to the group of people in front. It seems like 2 photos of different pixel concentration being imposed together.
Well… The photo does look strange to me…
25 minutes ago · Like
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TEN REASONS WHY HE THINKS THAT THE PHOTO IS ‘DOCTORED’.
Free Malaysia Today
Photo was doctored because…
Citing a “photographer and printing expert”, Ramakrishnan provided the following list on why he claimed the picture had been doctored:
- Sri Perdana cannot hold such a large crowd (tens of thousands as indicated in The Star’s caption line) as the picture portrays a crowd of tens of thousands.
- Hari Raya open house is usually attended by the young, old and disabled on wheel chairs and this is not evident.
- In the front page photograph (there is ) a sea of faces and this is not possible to be gathered in one spot on the Hari Raya day.
- Most of the youths are with cameras, there must be something more exciting than Najib.
- The pictures are doctored, primarily because some of the people in the background appear larger.
- Different pictures have been juxtaposed and superimposed in the doctoring process to create an impression of a large crowd.
- This picture does not show Najib and it is a total let down in the public relations campaign to gain supporters for the Barisan.
- A Hari Raya event would usually show Najib shaking hands and meeting the people and this is lost in this picture which The Star decided to use on the front page.
- The picture has been doctored by an amateur graphic artist who could not hide the doctoring.
- Experienced photographers too confirm that the picture is doctored.
Bernama must do more than just issue a denial to convince Malaysians, Ramakrishnan said.
Prove ‘doctored’ photo authentic, Bernama
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Free Malaysia Today
Prove ‘doctored’ photo authentic, Bernama
Senator Ramakrishan wants the national news agency to upload video footages of the crowd at Najib Tun Razak’s Aidilfitri open house onto YouTube.
PETALING JAYA: National news agency Bernama must prove the authenticity of its photo of the Prime Minister’s 2012 Aidilfitri open house by sharing video clips of the same scene on YouTube, DAP said today.
Last week, Senator S Ramakrishnan claimed The Star’s Aug 21 front cover photo from Bernama of being doctored and a “blatant lie”, as it supposedly showed tens of thousands of people gathering at Najib’s residence.
But Bernama, which had taken the photo, said yesterday they “do not have the time to indulge in irrational endeavours”, and that large crowds at the prime minister’s open house had been the norm since Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s time.
“Bernama’s denial is shocking because the Star staff themselves were embarrassed for [sic] the exaggeration in number of people present in the Prime Minister’s house.
“I challenge Bernama to show a video of [sic] post on YouTube showing the number of people and that particular scene because Bernama also had its TV station covering the event,” Ramakrishnan said in a statement today.
He pointed out that if the event truly had such a mammoth crowd, Bernama’s TV crew would have captured the screen and broadcast it.
“But, it was not done. Can Bernama prove it by showing the TV footage to support its denial?”
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Prove ‘doctored’ photo authentic, Bernama
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Despite Bernama’s denial, the suspicions won’t go away…
100,000 vs 10,000
Indeed, the picture does look suspiciously like it has been ‘massaged’. An alert Opposition leader had pointed this out soon after it was splashed all over the newspapers. It is also telling that at the same time, the headlines had also screamed only some 10,000 had attended the open house of Najib’s deputy Muhyiddin Yassin.
That had added to the talk that a simmering leadership tussle within Umno, the country’s largest political party and the boss of the ruling BN coalition, had finally erupted into the open. And the catalyst? Najib’s delaying of the 13th general election.
Malaysia Chronicle
Wednesday, 05 September 2012 13:44
On-the-way-out Najib turning to doctored photos to DECEIVE nation & Umno rivals?
Written by Maria Begum, Malaysia Chronicle
It gets clearer by the day how precarious Prime Minister Najib Razak’s position in his own UMNO party is. His latest scrape is an allegedly doctored photo to give the impression that popular support for his leadership is much higher than it really was.
And despite hasty denials by the national news agency Bernama that the photo had been altered, critics believe the incident will boomerang and make already upset colleagues in Umno even more “hopping mad” at the latest attempt to pull wool over their eyes.
“Najib’s weakest point is his vanity. Some say this is also encouraged by his wife Rosmah Mansor and that’s why during the Najib administration, the PM’s Office has spent an unprecedented bomb on public relations and image consultants to give a false image of themselves. Whether it’s to boost their ego or to show off to the country, I think some of these foreign consultants have been found out, disgraced and now under investigation in their own countries,” PKR vice president Chua Jui Meng told Malaysia Chronicle.
“Now Najib has been accused of using Bernama to doctor the Raya picture of 100,000 people going to his open house. Of course, this will make the Umno warlords even more hopping mad. For me, I think he is crazy to use such ridiculous tactics. He is making himself out to be like the North Korean Kims. It’s so fake and so ‘Bolehland’.”
On-the-way-out Najib turning to doctored photos to DECEIVE nation & Umno rivals?
BIGGEST JOKE: 100,000 crowd at Najib’s Raya open house allegedly DOCTORED pix!
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Bernama replies (at last)
Malaysiakini
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On Sept 1, an opposition senator had issued a statement claiming that the picture which had appeared in a number of newspapers had been “doctored” by an amateur graphic artist and that open house pictures should have depicted the young, old and the disabled in wheelchairs.Yong said the photographer, Harry Salzman Abu Bakar, who had taken pictures of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, British Prime Minister David Cameron and US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton in the past without any problems, had used his creativity to depict the large crowd of well-wishers, especially the young, who had come to the open house to meet the prime minister.Other than that picture, which showed the enthusiastic crowd, Harry Salzman had also taken other pictures of the function, including some showing the prime minister waving to those present.“One cannot deny that Datuk Seri Najib is a crowd-puller, not just at his own Aidilfitri open house but at other public events as well, because pictures and video footages from other news organisations can also testify to that,” Yong said.- BernamaNo ‘doctoring’ of photo, says Bernama editor-in-chief
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IS THIS A ‘PHOTO-SHOPPED’ PHOTO?
I hope the DAP senator knows what he is talking about or he’ll end up with egg on his face (and an expensive lawsuit)…
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Free Malaysia Today
DAP: Bernama doctored Hari Raya photograph
A DAP senator claims that the national news agency tweaked a photograph to give the impression that thousands of people were supporting the prime minister during Hari Raya.
PETALING JAYA: DAP has questioned the authenticity of a photograph that supposedly showed tens of thousands of people gathering at Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s residence during Hari Raya.
Referring to a Aug 21 The Star report, Senator S Ramakrishnan called the daily’s front cover photo a “blatant lie”.
Citing an anonymous youth’s testimony, he said that the latter did not see the tens of thousands of people as reported in the paper.
This led Ramakrishnan to make the accusation that the photograph, which had been taken by national news agency Bernama, had been doctored.
Ramakrishnan claimed that the Sri Perdana residence in Putrajaya would not have been able to support a crowd of tens of thousands of people.
He alleged that different pictures had been “juxtaposed and superimposed” to create the impression that a large crowd had gathered there.
The DAP leader also wondered why the image did not show Najib there, and queried why it portrayed the people there armed with cameras.
“The picture has been doctored by an amateur graphic artist… Today a child can apply Photoshop and easily manipulate photographs,” he said in a statement.
Speaking to FMT later, Ramakrishnan claimed that he had spoken to some journalists who said that the photo was doctored.
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DAP: Bernama doctored Hari Raya photograph
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Well, this was the New Straits Times report
21 August 2012 | last updated at 12:41AM
100,000 at PM, ministers’ Hari Raya open house
Read more: 100,000 at PM, ministers’ Hari Raya open house – General – New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/nation/general/100-000-at-pm-ministers-hari-raya-open-house-1.127432#ixzz24pkGbUS6
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THIS WAS BERNAMA’S REPORT
www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v6/newsindex.php?id=688956 – Cached
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