{"id":327372,"date":"2026-02-08T22:23:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T22:23:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/327372\/"},"modified":"2026-02-08T22:23:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T22:23:15","slug":"photographer-has-two-sets-of-photos-falsely-accused-of-being-fake-on-the-same-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/327372\/","title":{"rendered":"Photographer Has Two Sets of Photos Falsely Accused of Being Fake on the Same Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SplitThe surf breaks as the San Diego skyline shimmers behind, left, flamingos Pink Floyd and Pink Flo, right. <\/p>\n

A photographer says he feels vindicated after he had not one but two sets of photos falsely accused of being fake on the same day. <\/p>\n

San Diego-based photographer Randy Dible<\/a> captured photos of two wild flamingos called Pink Floyd and Pink Flo that are famous in the area. That same day, he also took photos of the surf breaking with the San Diego skyline and Coronado Bridge behind. <\/p>\n

\"TwoRandy Dible \"ARandy Dible Wanna Bet? <\/p>\n

On Dible\u2019s Instagram page<\/a>, some users called the photos of the surf fake; unable to believe that it\u2019s possible get such a photo. One person was so sure Dible had composited the photos that he actually bet the photographer $1,000 that he couldn\u2019t prove their authenticity. <\/p>\n

Despite some locals accusing Dible of chicanery, the surf photographer tells CBS San Diego<\/a> that he \u201cdoesn\u2019t even have Photoshop,\u201d and what the doubters fail to understand is that he is using a very long telephoto lens. <\/p>\n

\"ADible calls this vantage point a \u201csecret spot\u201d. Metadata Mix-Up <\/p>\n

Dible submitted the flamingo photos to CBS San Diego for airing. But the production team there rejected them over a questionable timestamp. The metadata showed that Dible shot the photos in the year 2000, 26 years ago. But it was simply because Dible\u2019s camera clock wasn\u2019t set correctly.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt caused me enough pause to where I felt like we shouldn\u2019t run these photos because I was not 100% confident that they were legitimate,\u201d says story desk editor Katy Stegall. <\/p>\n

Dible had no idea his camera\u2019s clock wasn\u2019t set. \u201cIf I have to prove myself where and when it took these photos, then of course I\u2019m going to change the timestamp,\u201d he adds <\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

Dible later took a reporter from CBS 8 to the spot where he took the surf photos to prove once and for all that they\u2019re authentic. And for good measure, the flamingos Pink Floyd and Pink Flo turned up at the same time to prove that those photos were real too. <\/p>\n

PetaPixel\u2019s Take <\/p>\n

We really do live in a world of fear and loathing when it comes to photos. Presumptuous people on social media and even professional organizations have suspicious minds \u2014 it now seems photographers are guilty until proven innocent. <\/p>\n

One look at Randy Dible\u2019s website<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>, and it\u2019s abundantly clear that this is a man with a lifelong passion for photography who is not interested in fakery, just taking great images. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a sad state of affairs that has been turbocharged by AI technology, which can imitate great photographs with scary levels of verisimilitude. <\/p>\n

Nevertheless, there\u2019s a lesson here for photographers: set your camera\u2019s timestamp correctly and consider geotagging pictures. It might make it easy to prove that your work is genuine. <\/p>\n

Image credits:<\/strong> Photographs by Randy Dible<\/p>\n