# Is this a real place (image of broken ship in a valley) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 18, 2020, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-real-place-image-of-broken-ship-in-a-valley/925849 "2020-11-18T02:57:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2020, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-real-place-image-of-broken-ship-in-a-valley/925849/21 "2020-11-19T02:44:34Z")
Just to join the pile on, it was pretty obvious to me. The ship appears to have a slight glow, the shadow is just an even darkening: no terrain catching the light, and the shadow is not in the same direction as other shadows. I do like the image though. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2020, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-real-place-image-of-broken-ship-in-a-valley/925849/22 "2020-11-19T02:53:25Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > the shadow is not in the same direction as other shadows. (missed edit window) Actually I take this part back. I thought some of the stones seemed to have a shadow pointing left, but I see other things in the scene now with the same shadow direction as the ship, so never mind. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2020, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-real-place-image-of-broken-ship-in-a-valley/925849/23 "2020-11-19T03:05:06Z")
I agree - the shadow is overdone _especially_ toward the right end of the vessel, but directionally correct. Honestly it’s such a piss poor resolution it’s difficult to draw conclusions. I’d guess at decent rez it’s obviously a fake. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2020, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-real-place-image-of-broken-ship-in-a-valley/925849/24 "2020-11-19T03:45:20Z")
Frustratingly close. Using TinEye on the higher quality image running\_coach linked to, I found a link to what _used_ to be a shutterstock photo of the actual valley, sans ship. Unfortunately, the image is no longer available on shutterstock. Maybe the digital artist bought the rights? Anyway, they link (when there was a link) was: [http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-373513690/stock-photo-valley-switzerland.html](http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-373513690/stock-photo-valley-switzerland.html) So… a valley somewhere in Switzerland, I gather. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2020, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-real-place-image-of-broken-ship-in-a-valley/925849/25 "2020-11-19T09:36:57Z")
Yeah, Switzerland seems plausible - here’s a very simlar looking piece of terrain (not the same place as far as I can tell): > **[Flüela Pass is a high mountain pass in the Swiss Alps in the canton...](https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/photo/mountain-valley-with-winding-river-near-the-fl%C3%BCela-royalty-free-image/653090052)** > > Flüela Pass is a high mountain pass in the Swiss Alps in the canton of Graubünden. The pass road connects Davos and Susch in the lower Engadin valley. ---
**Author:** ![Brayne\_Ded](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Brayne\_Ded](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brayne_Ded)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2020, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-real-place-image-of-broken-ship-in-a-valley/925849/26 "2020-11-19T09:47:57Z")
[GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)[Charter Member](https://boards.straightdope.com/g/Charter_Member) “My guess is it’s Iceland or Norway, but in any case, that shadow the ship is casting completely doesn’t match the environment, and is quite shoddy work.” It doesn’t look like Iceland to me, might be Norway, my feeling is that it could be Scotland but the valleys there tend to be a bit more U-shaped. Might just be the Lake District; I was there twice, but did not see a lot, and I know some of the Scottish Highlands, but not Moffatsdale. Ah, now [Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout) has the answer. Yes, it does look like the picture of the Flüela Pass in Switzerland - been there, and passed Graubunden on the train ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2020, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-real-place-image-of-broken-ship-in-a-valley/925849/27 "2020-11-19T09:50:58Z")
A key feature is the lack of trees. Scotland is very barren in places, but not the Lake District. I found the Fluela Pass image too, and it’s so tantalisingly close, colouration especially, that I think it must be somewhere in the Alps, which are far too large to explore and stumble on it accidentally. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2020, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-real-place-image-of-broken-ship-in-a-valley/925849/28 "2020-11-19T18:01:43Z")
Okay, just a little closer. Found a cleanish (watermarked) image of the valley in question, which may or may not have formed the basis for the photoshopped image (lighting is very different). [Link](https://www.dreamstime.com/green-valley-switzerland-green-valley-switzerland-mountains-river-image132919535) But still no name to the place. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2020, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-real-place-image-of-broken-ship-in-a-valley/925849/29 "2020-11-19T18:38:39Z")
Wow, excellent find. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2020, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-real-place-image-of-broken-ship-in-a-valley/925849/30 "2020-11-19T19:40:28Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > But still no name to the place. At the risk of a stupid question, did you download one of the decent sized examples and examine the EXIF data to see if it contained a lat/long? Probably the small or medium would be likely to have it if it’s available at all. I wasn’t willing to sign up for yet another source of spam just to research this one question. But somebody who already has a dreamstime account could do that. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2020, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-real-place-image-of-broken-ship-in-a-valley/925849/31 "2020-11-19T19:42:19Z")
Sure didn’t. I was looking on my iPad between… other activities. I have had the thought to do something like that when I have time and am on my computer, though. But don’t rely on me for that. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2020, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-real-place-image-of-broken-ship-in-a-valley/925849/32 "2020-11-19T20:03:11Z")
The results are in: it was taken with a Canon EOS 600D camera. Sorry. ☹ From the nearest thing to an original image taken of the valley: [Scenic view of mountains against sky | ID: 126081923](https://www.eyeem.com/p/126081923) At this point, I think if someone wants to know where it was taken, their best bet is to contact the photographer credited in the above link. Or to peruse his other works and see if anything jumps out in the same series of photos. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2020, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-real-place-image-of-broken-ship-in-a-valley/925849/33 "2020-11-19T20:03:27Z")
ETA: Should’ve researched faster … Thanks @ASL_v2.0 Anyhow … After more poking around … The photographer is Claudio Testa who your first find suggests is based in Ancona Italy. Between this and other photo sites with his work sites it’s evident he travels all over the world taking pretty pictures. The description of this same pic on another stock site > **[Green Alpine Valley Stock Photo 1135271225 | Shutterstock](https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/green-alpine-valley-1135271225)** > > Find Green Alpine Valley stock images in HD and millions of other royalty-free stock photos, illustrations and vectors in the Shutterstock collection. Thousands of new, high-quality pictures added every day. is “Green alpine valley”. So possibly, but not necessarily, in Switzerland as your find says. I found the photog’s site at [https://testa-photography.com](https://testa-photography.com) which says he’s based in southern Germany, but which doesn’t include this image in samples of his work. We’re getting warmer. ETA: But ref your post just above I think about as warm as we’re gonna get without contacting him directly. I’d hoped his blog would be informative, but no. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2020, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-real-place-image-of-broken-ship-in-a-valley/925849/34 "2020-11-19T21:26:12Z")
Meanwhile, I’m wondering where the original of the ship was from. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2020, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-real-place-image-of-broken-ship-in-a-valley/925849/35 "2020-11-19T21:46:45Z")
thingiverse ? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2020, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-real-place-image-of-broken-ship-in-a-valley/925849/36 "2020-11-19T22:25:45Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > It’s nonsense Pinterest sites all the way down. I know this isn’t the pit, but I bloody hate Pinterest. It’s like the thing was purposely designed to destroy context. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2020, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-real-place-image-of-broken-ship-in-a-valley/925849/37 "2020-11-19T22:59:53Z")
Found it! - Firstly, taking your lead and the new photo, I found the [whole set of images](https://stock.adobe.com/ro/images/una-verde-vallata-alpina/213640269?prev_url=detail) on Adobe Stock. - From there I realised the road in the valley is actually [a railway line](https://stock.adobe.com/ro/images/viaggio-indietro-nel-tempo/213640274?prev_url=detail) with a steam train. - There’s one steam train ride of note in Switzerland called the Furka Railway. - The [Wikipedia page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furka_Steam_Railway) for the railway shows the train crossing the Steinstafel Bridge. - And [that’s where](https://www.google.com/maps/search/+Steinstafel+bridge/@46.5976194,8.4684013,264a,35y,218.56h,69.22t/data=!3m1!1e3!5m1!1e2) this photo is taken. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2020, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-real-place-image-of-broken-ship-in-a-valley/925849/38 "2020-11-19T23:02:11Z")
Holy cow – that’s impressive! ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2020, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-real-place-image-of-broken-ship-in-a-valley/925849/39 "2020-11-19T23:30:20Z")
The image might have been inspired by the real-life grounding of the USS Wateree by a tsunami in Chile in 1868. [![](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Wateree_(1863)#/media/File:USS_Wateree_(1863).jpg) ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Wateree_(1863)#/media/File:USS_Wateree_(1863).jpg) It was left so far inland that it couldn’t be salvaged, and was later used as a hospital, an inn and a warehouse. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2020, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-real-place-image-of-broken-ship-in-a-valley/925849/40 "2020-11-19T23:30:50Z")
Awesome sleuthing there @GuanoLad! Something is not working for me on your GoogleMaps link, but I have no doubt the rest of your work is correct. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-real-place-image-of-broken-ship-in-a-valley/925849.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-real-place-image-of-broken-ship-in-a-valley/925849.md?page=3)