PickieChickie
Former Member
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Expert? Yes. Mormon? No!
March 16th, 2010
There was a local new story that aired tonight about the Susan Powell Case for which I’m not going to go into details over as I am not a news person and hardly watch tv myself. But one of my old friends (a reporter from the station I USED TO WORK AT) called me up called me up and asked if I would have look at some photos for him regarding a story he was working on and I happily obliged. I was asked to use my photoshop expertise to see if I could see any signs of photo manipulation in the picture.
What was seen in the interview was just as I said and I followed up with an email to the reporter later with what follows:
“The photo doesn’t appear to be manipulated but it’s easier to detect a manipulation than to determine whether it wasn’t.
The lighting and the eye lines of Scott and the child are consistent with the location of the fire. There’s no signs of cloning of the background to hide or cover up anything. As far as I can tell the fire is completely part of the original photo. There’s no signs of layer masking or blending on the photograph (no repeat patterns in the snow) as I can see it. To play devil’s advocate, the only way to truly determine if there was manipulation would be to see the original photo, shy of seeing the original w/o the blurred faces of the children and the logo on Scott’s shirt there’s no real way to say otherwise. I’d love to see a higher quality version but I don’t really foresee any reason why it would look any different. But beware of cartoon bears!”
What I didn’t do was try to determine whether the photo was taken yesterday or 2 years ago. That wasn’t the point of the examination. My conclusion as to the ‘authenticity’ of the photo has nothing to do with the guilt or not of the persons involved; as I don’t watch t.v. and I have very little knowledge of the actual on goings of the story itself and don’t have a bias either way.
Apparently I was quick to be googled so I thought I’d best respond. Yes I have an account on Classmates but I haven’t looked at it in years so I honestly couldn’t tell you what it says, there’s a lovely picture of my ugly mug attempting to light a kerosene lamp which is a funny story in and of itself but that’s for another time. Probably the closest thing to ‘hurtful’ (but I’m not terribly bothered by it) is the allegations that I’m Mormon. Well I’m not, not Mormon, not Christian, not Hindu or anything else. The best way to describe me would probably be ’staunch outspoken atheist’.
Whatever being mormon has to do with anything I have no idea but people seem to think that the local news media is for whatever reason run by the mormon church. Trust me, they’re not.
So why am I bothering to blog about something now after many months of not saying anything about anything at all? Well my life’s not that terribly exciting so I’ve had nothing to say.
Additionally:
The story has started a small flurry of comments that appear to be in the negative towards me and anyone who knows me knows I LOVE negative attention. Hit me with your best shot, I have no ego to bruise!
To clear the record:
Yes I DID at one time work at the TV station in question. I WAS the nightly graphic artist there for many years. I have since moved on and am still doing freelance graphic art and design. The reporter could have just as easily gone and asked any number of the well qualified graphic artists that I know still work at the station but he decided to ask me instead. I’m touched that he thought of me, we built up a good solid working relationship over the years and I’d happily offer my services to help him out again in any way I can (free of charge).
So in conclusion, no I am NOT a mormon, yes I am a professional graphic artist/designer AND CARTOONIST! (feel free to hate, I don’t mind). I have done work with photo-manipulation in the past. I do do (I said dodo!) freelance work for attorneys and occasional forensic analysis regarding court cases and the like. No I don’t have a bias either way in the case. I’m sure somebody somewhere did something bad to someone else and they should be punished for it. But as I don’t know the particulars of the story I won’t say who did what to who when or where.
~I’m just sayin’
SOURCE: http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=ht...zTk8dc&usg=AFQjCNE_QCwjozU67pwGHnOsFgCwk0pKtg
And what was right above the following entry? Lol!
Sounds like the cartoonist was talking about the guy that was at the Duces Wild strip club!
Sounds like the cartoonist was talking about the guy that was at the Duces Wild strip club!