# Are these photos fake? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 1, 2001, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-photos-fake/52741 "2001-02-01T17:52:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![V6stang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@V6stang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/V6stang)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-photos-fake/52741/1 "2001-02-01T17:52:23Z")
Well, I’ve seen the following picture bouncing around the internet for a few months now, and I always thought it was a fake: [http://www.snopes2.com/spoons/graphics/lumber.jpg](http://www.snopes2.com/spoons/graphics/lumber.jpg) But, someone in the newsgroup recently pointed out another picture of the same scene from a different angle, and this new picture looks like it’d be much harder to fake: [http://www.snopes2.com/spoons/graphics/lumber3.jpg](http://www.snopes2.com/spoons/graphics/lumber3.jpg) (Both these can be found at [http://www.snopes.com/spoons/photos/lumber.htm](http://www.snopes.com/spoons/photos/lumber.htm)) So, I thought I’d ask, and see if anyone can give real proof one way or another. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![V6stang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@V6stang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/V6stang)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-photos-fake/52741/2 "2001-02-01T17:59:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by V6stang \* > > But, someone in the newsgroup recently pointed out… Err… That is to say, the newsgroup I hang out in. Sheesh! {SET brain mode=ON} :0) ---
**Author:** ![oldscratch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@oldscratch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldscratch)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-photos-fake/52741/3 "2001-02-01T17:59:39Z")
ummmmmmmmmmm… did you bother reading the artcile at snopes? really? Cause I don’t think you did, otherwise you wouldn’t be posting this here. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-photos-fake/52741/4 "2001-02-01T18:03:30Z")
Welcome to the SDMB! Since this is your first post, we’ll go easy on you. (Hear that, everyone?) Anyway, you’ll find that most of us here have a healthy respect for the research that snopes puts into their stuff. They say it’s for real, so I suggest that if you don’t agree, you should come up with something a bit more substantial than \<\<\< I always thought it was a fake \>\>\>. (PS: Excellent formatting of your post! Welcome, again!) ---
**Author:** ![V6stang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@V6stang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/V6stang)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-photos-fake/52741/5 "2001-02-01T18:07:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by oldscratch \* > \*\*ummmmmmmmmmm… did you bother reading the artcile at snopes? > > really? > > Cause I don’t think you did, otherwise you wouldn’t be posting this here. \*\* Of course I did. I just wanted to be sure. Even after posting a link to the Snopes story, the debate still continues in my newsgroup. Someone suggested that the only definitive answer would be from StraightDope, so I thought I’d ask. ---
**Author:** ![V6stang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@V6stang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/V6stang)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-photos-fake/52741/6 "2001-02-01T18:14:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Keeve \* > \*\*Welcome to the SDMB! Since this is your first post, we’ll go easy on you. (Hear that, everyone?) > > Anyway, you’ll find that most of us here have a healthy respect for the research that snopes puts into their stuff. They say it’s for real, so I suggest that if you don’t agree, you should come up with something a bit more substantial than \<\<\< I always thought it was a fake \>\>\>. > > (PS: Excellent formatting of your post! Welcome, again!) \*\* Thanks. I hadn’t heard of Snopes before, but as I’m browsing their site, I’ll have to agree with you. I do know where I can come for answers now (but only as a last resort) I think I’ll just lurk for a while, and get the hang of this board. ;0) ---
**Author:** ![Spritle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Spritle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spritle)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-photos-fake/52741/7 "2001-02-01T18:23:28Z")
OK, not a friend of a friend thing at all. My mother sent the pictures and a different text to me. Her friend had sent it to her. The friend’s son took the pictures!! Here’s what I can tell you: The info in the text is the same as the original message I received. The picture is, in fact, Waldorf, MD, and that is the Waldorf. I grew up near there, and drove past that store every day on my way to work for 7 years. There are stupid people in Maryland. HOWEVER!!! Why drive from Waldorf to Annapolis (1 hr away) with pretty common lumber yard stuff when there is at least one Lowe’s, one Home Despot [sic], one Johnson Lumber and (used to be) one Hechinger’s in or near Annapolis. This part doesn’t seem to make much sense. However, to quote myself, > [@](#): > > There are stupid people in Maryland. [sub]Why do you say “Redneck” like it’s a bad thing?[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Demo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demo/32/8472_2.png) [@Demo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Demo)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-photos-fake/52741/8 "2001-02-01T18:39:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by oldscratch \* > \*\*ummmmmmmmmmm… did you bother reading the artcile at snopes? > > really? > > Cause I don’t think you did, otherwise you wouldn’t be posting this here. \*\* Hey oldie, don’t be such a dick! The poor guy’s just trying to ask a question fergodsakes! Oh yeah, and it’s spelled art **ic** le… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![oldscratch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@oldscratch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldscratch)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-photos-fake/52741/9 "2001-02-01T19:07:39Z")
See, that’s what happens when you try for flip before you’ve had your breakfast, you come off as snotty instead. my bad. ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-photos-fake/52741/10 "2001-02-01T19:33:02Z")
> [@](#): > > There are stupid people in Maryland. > > HOWEVER!!! Why drive from Waldorf to Annapolis (1 hr away) with pretty common lumber yard stuff when there is at least one Lowe’s, one Home Despot [sic] Home Despot. Heh, heh, heh. You gotta love it! ---
**Author:** ![Palandine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/958977/32.png) [@Palandine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palandine)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-photos-fake/52741/11 "2001-02-01T19:55:06Z")
I don’t see why anyone would think this is a fake. It happens, at least commonly enough that I saw it happen once. I worked at a hardware store/lumberyard when I was in college. One day a guy ordered a large number of bags of Quikrete mix and an employee went out to help him get them into the bed of his pickup truck. The employee told him that the weight was too much for the small truck to bear, but the customer told him to keep loading. The result was not the shock absorber damage seen in those pictures, but all four of his tires did go flat. Guy was embarassed and annoyed, but no permanent damage was done. There are stupid people **everywhere**. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-photos-fake/52741/12 "2001-02-01T20:48:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by spritle \* > \*\*OK, not a friend of a friend thing at all. My mother sent the pictures and a different text to me. Her friend had sent it to her. The friend’s son took the pictures!! > \*\* Well, that proves it! Your mother’s friend’s son took the pictures! Aw, I’m just teasing, but it is common for the actual links to get distorted that way. If you talked to your mother’s friend, she’ll tell you it wasn’t HER son, but her neighbor’s son. Talk to the neighbor and it was her cousin. Etc. Of course someone took these pictures, but it probably wasn’t your mother’s friend’s son. Anyway, this picture doesn’t have to be fake, it could be staged, an important distinction. Although it seems to be legit. ---
**Author:** ![SSgtBaloo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac91a4/32.png) [@SSgtBaloo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SSgtBaloo)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-photos-fake/52741/13 "2001-02-02T02:33:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lemur866 \* > \*\*Anyway, this picture doesn’t have to be fake, it could be staged, an important distinction. Although it seems to be legit. \*\* I used to work construction (Giant Drywall – no job too small – probably a defunct outfit now). The caliber of intelligence one finds at a construction site seems to be quite variable – much more so than in the general population. One finds both incredibly intelligent folks and real dullards. Occasionally, one sees really, really stupid stunts pulled in the name of getting the raw materials to the worksite without spending money on “nonessentials” like, for example, a vehicle capable of hauling aforementioned raw materials without developing the mechanical equivalent of a hernia. It (the picture) looks staged, but I’ve seen stuff just as incredible myself. Sometimes people you’d think would know better than to do something like that will just go ahead and, well, _do_ something just like that! It happens. Go ahead. Laugh. Then make sure you don’t pull one as bad or worse yourself. ~~Baloo ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-photos-fake/52741/14 "2001-02-02T02:58:11Z")
What’s the point of the picture? A guy happened to put too much whatever that is, on his car and it collapsed a bit? I don’t see why its a UL…doesn’t seem so unreasonable and so strange. I never got the fuss over this pic: am i missing something?? ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-photos-fake/52741/15 "2001-02-02T03:01:05Z")
I’ve been in the newsphoto business for a number of decades and I know most of the ways of doctoring a pic. None are evident in this photo. In my opinion, the photo is real. Granted, it could be staged, but the cop and bystanders in the second argue against that. If someone brought this to my paper, I would have run it. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-photos-fake/52741/16 "2001-02-02T04:03:42Z")
Saw an old Duster that somebody was using to carry used bricks. The trunk was so heavy that the back of the body had buckled right behind the wheelwells. If I had staged that photo I’d have used a crappier car than that nice Jetta. I think that it’s just further proof that there is plenty of stupidity to go around. We exist to fight ignorance, but Snopes fights stupidity. They should recognize it when they see it. ---
**Author:** ![Boris\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@Boris\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boris_B)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-photos-fake/52741/17 "2001-02-02T05:39:10Z")
What I don’t get about this whole thing is: why _should_ that photo be fake? I mean, it’s not like a picture of Strom Thurmond’s head attached to Barbara Bush’s body or something. It seems perfectly plausible that if you loaded a little car up with that much stuff, you’d damage the suspension, and it’s obviously possible to do so. So why were the people on snopes was talking about so hot to show that it was a fake? Just because it’s an internet picture and all internet pictures are fake?