This year's International Photo Contest from National Geographic received unparalleled interest from around the world. Photographers submitted more than 220,000 images in the worldwide competition, and the final winners can be seen here.
Over the last week, it came to our attention that one of the top-rated Viewers’ Choice photos in the English Language competition appeared to be altered. When asked, our panel of photography experts found the image to be questionable. Contest rules specifically prohibit altered images.
To give the photographer the benefit of the doubt, we asked him to send us the source negative, which we have not yet received. For now we will take down the image until the matter is resolved.
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Comments
Dec 17, 2008 9AM #
Well done - but there is continued concern that other photos such as the nomadic tribesman on the reindeer have been altered as well (look at the grayscale sky). It looks like it was done for photographic impact to separate the rider from the background, but it looks very strange. Can you start verifying the other images as well?
Dec 17, 2008 9AM #
Not sure I understand why there would even be a question with this "photo"... Even people who are not professionals can see the obviousness of it being completely altered in Photoshop. The clouds do not recede into the skyline at all, they just "drop" down to the horizon, and then continue into the water. They obviously aren't reflected in the water considering the clouds just go right down over the water in the same pattern/direction as the one's in the sky, instead of mirrored.