The Ghost of Snapped Shot

Or, welcome to my low-maintenance heck.

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That's One Powerful Candle

Or, as Soccer Dad points out, it's entirely possible that there's another source of light that's making the background of this room so bright. Maybe even an electric source of light...

Palestinian children use a candle for light during a power outage in Gaza City, Monday, Jan. 14, 2008. In early January Israel cut back on some of its fuel shipments to the volatile Gaza Strip in response to the daily barrages of homemade rockets fired by Palestinian militants in Gaza at Israeli border towns. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)


For the record, the notion that Israel is wholly responsible for this power outage is still completely false. Not that the Associated Press is interested in little things like "facts" these days.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, this is what a room lit solely by a candle looks like.

  #Intifada


Comments:

#1 meaux 15-Jan-2008
Note there is no shadow behind the head of the older child at center.. the photo is without question completely fabricated. m
#2 DJM 15-Jan-2008
There is definitely shadows from the table legs.

Could it still be daylight outside and the additional light is coming through a window?

Just playing devil's advocate here...
#3 Brian C. Ledbetter 15-Jan-2008
Yeah, and notice the heavy shadow in the top-left quarter of the picture. It's not that there aren't shadows in the picture—They're just not caused by the [i]candle[/i].

It's possible that the light is coming from the sun, but doesn't the structure on the wall behind them (at the top of the picture) look like a window to you? If there were sunlight outside, that's where I'd normally expect to see it coming from...

Regards,
Brian
#4 soccer dad 15-Jan-2008
Thanks for doing this. This is great!

One of the people I forwarded it to noticed the lack of focus getting further away from photographer. Is that a function of using available light?

The children in red and green have no light reflected in their eyes as you'd expect if the photographer had used a flash.

Of course if it's daylight and there's illumination from the sun, what in the world do they need the candle for? Besides the caption says that it's need for light. It wasn't. It was needed for propaganda.

The picture wasn't fabricated, it just doesn't show what it's purported to show.
#5 DJM 15-Jan-2008
My immediate impression of the object at the very top was that it was an edge of a picture frame. Or, it could be an opening for viewing into another room.

Oh! I know what it is! (now playing role of AP/Reuter reporter:)

Innocent Palestinian children watch in horror as their one room school is lit up by IDF bombs exploding just outside the window.
#6 David 16-Jan-2008
Just out of idle curiosity, has it occurred to any of you that the camera operator may have used a *flash?*

Seems sort of obvious, but you never know...
#7 Brian C. Ledbetter 16-Jan-2008
David,

The white-balance seems to be off for it being a flash, but I did consider that as a possibility.

So what's another reason why I discounted it being a flash?

The photographer would've had to either have it mounted on a tripod way off to the right, or perhaps have had one of his associates hold it, based on how far off-axis the light source is from the lens. And that's not typically the kind of equipment that wire photographers and stringers tend to like to carry around with them.

I am always open to the possibility of being wrong, of course—A number of photographers from over there are known for keeping me honest around here, so I expect that sooner or later, we'll hear about it if I [i]am[/i] in fact wrong on these points.

Wouldn't be the first time.

In any case, many thanks for sharing your thoughts on this situation—I look forward to hearing from you more often,

Respectfully,
Brian
#8 Soccer Dad 20-Jan-2008
InstaCarnival Beta Draft HTML for Carnival Edition http://blogcarnival.com/bc/spreview_17100.html --> The next few lines insert the BlogCarnival LogoLink for the January 20, 2008 edition of "haveil havalim" here. Presence of the BlogCarnival LogoLink allows this carnival edition to be listed at blogcarnival.com. This example puts it in the upper right corner, but it can go anywhere in the blog post. I hope to add in the navigation later and some thoughts... --> Welcome to the January 20, 2008 edition of haveil havalim. Contents Post of the Week Israel Judaism Politics Abuse of Power History Antisemitism Personal Torah Phoning it in...
#9 Soccer Dad 24-Jan-2008
I've argued in the past that when a newspaper gives a platform to Hamas it is strengthening an organization whose values are at odds with the values that a newspaper stands for. This week we saw something much worse. Newspapers actively aided Hamas in its effort to open the Rafah crossing this week. Yesterday, the Times of London reported that the plan to knock down the Rafah wall was underway for months. (via memeorandum) Hamas, which took control of the coastal territory last June after a stand-off with Fatah, has denied that its men set off the explosions that brought...
#10 Soccer Dad 25-Jan-2008
If you haven't read Nothing Loftier at A Simple Jew; you must. If you haven't read In Gaza, some Journalists remain in the dark at Daled Amos ; you must. He's right about Taranto's observation. You can see one of the photos in question here. Not that it's anything new. (What light is casting the shadow of the table leg?) If you haven't read 4200 Balloons at Elder of Ziyon; you must. If only the media were interested in context, not cheap sensationalism and radical chic. If you haven't read And people complain about Israeli Bureaucracy at Life in Israel;...
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