Just ranting about fake photos

[Icryhard]

No idea how you came to these conclusions based on @Frugal Reefer 's post...

He literally said he understands why vendors do it. "to attract potential buyers". Well, when I order something online which you have been editting like crazy, you're scamming me out of my money. You show me something under the false premise that I am going to get that. He understands this, but doesn't understand that you editting a picture for a couple of likes at best gives you some internet points and doesn't scam anyone involved? So he understands scamming, but doesn't understand, or flat out gets annoyed at someone wanting some internet points and not admitting to the edit? Which vendor goes around saying "yeah I editted these pictures"?

 

[lodestone]

I am thinking in the future, will be trying some quality pictures myself. So doing research, as an amateur/ newbie. I'd imagine lense filter and lighting color play the biggest role. Along with wide focal length, tripod jack and pretty sure you can make any picture pop without post edit. Judging by the picture it's possible he just has really good equipment.

Personal I hate the fading, blur, bokah pictures, I found tricks for my wife to widen the focus length. Bokah is great, but if 90% of you target is out of focus it not helping you draw that wow picture.

 

[Pntbll687]

He literally said he understands why vendors do it. "to attract potential buyers". Well, when I order something online which you have been editting like crazy, you're scamming me out of my money. You show me something under the false premise that I am going to get that. He understands this, but doesn't understand that you editting a picture for a couple of likes at best gives you some internet points and doesn't scam anyone involved? So he understands scamming, but doesn't understand, or flat out gets annoyed at someone wanting some internet points and not admitting to the edit? Which vendor goes around saying "yeah I editted these pictures"?

Just stop doing business with those that heavily edit photos. The easiest things to cue in on are the eggcrate, frag plug, and people's hands if they are hold the frag.
Black eggcrate looks purpleish, White egg crate not white, frag plugs not the right color, and skin with a purple hue to it. All signs of manipulation.

Like I said in my other post, I pay more to get coral that is accurate to pictures posted. On the retail side, Tidal Gardens is very good with pictures and being accurate to what you get.

And vendors routinely have it posted that "photos may be edited for color rendition" or something of that nature on their sites.

 

[srobertb]

Nothing wrong with editing and what not in a sales environment to attract potential buyers. The problem I have is when you edit a photo to such a large degree that the modification is clearly overt to get likes through social media and when you get called out for it by multiple people you outright deny it.

You can miss me with that first sentence. I don’t like it. I think it’s sad; but if people want to filter themselves or their material possessions for fake internet points, that’s pathetic but I care less (I’m old and don’t have insta-face or whatever).

It is 100% wrong to edit the color in coral so you can sell them. Changing the color in an anemone or acropora then selling it is false advertising.

 

[adsf430]

He literally said he understands why vendors do it. "to attract potential buyers". Well, when I order something online which you have been editting like crazy, you're scamming me out of my money. You show me something under the false premise that I am going to get that. He understands this, but doesn't understand that you editting a picture for a couple of likes at best gives you some internet points and doesn't scam anyone involved? So he understands scamming, but doesn't understand, or flat out gets annoyed at someone wanting some internet points and not admitting to the edit? Which vendor goes around saying "yeah I editted these pictures"?

I complained to a vendor recently about this and was told it's because they use a "professional camera" and that is why the pics I was sending them, complaining I was scammed, were off...as if I don't have eyes. I get that vendors want to post coral photos that look as good as possible. I even understand some taking pictures under all blue (although having pics of multiple spectrums is always best) but if I can't recreate the picture with blue light and an orange filter, than its a scam and clearly an edited photo

 

[Rusty_L_Shackleford]

Sometimes it really looks like that in person though.

Absolutely amazing.

 

[lodestone]

Since I been looking around, I have notice some vendors will post the lighting the picture was took in. Seen some that may post blue and daylight pictures as well. I'll keep a close eye out for what your bringing up.

 

[i cant think]

Some photos that are edited are alright, I know before I had filters I messed around to go from a photo that looks edited to a photo that looks like what I’d see in person.
Here’s two photos that aren’t edited at all previous to my filters (Top is my old Cirrhilabrus melanomarginatus and bottom is my Halichoeres chloropterus);

And here are those same fish but with photos that have been edited to look less blue;

 

[adsf430]

Ok now compare that to selling this:

Vendor Pic:

Real pic (Even using blue light and an orange filter):

 

[Gomez Adams]

The best pics I ever took were years ago with a manual Pentax film camera.

I can't get a decent picture out of my cell phone to save my life. (Currently on a Samsung Galaxy S10)

I'm genuinely of the opinion that a lot of people, like me, just have crappy cell cameras. Sure, some folks try to fake things to look better, but I'm not so sure that's the norm rather than the outlier.

 

[Goaway]

Ok now compare that to selling this:

Vendor Pic:

Real pic (Even using blue light and an orange filter):

I'd buy the first one. I would complain seeing I got the second one. Of course they blame "lighting".

I am sick in tired of all photo's edited to show colors that do not exist on the coral.

Sometimes some editing needs to be done to clean a photo up. It does not really change the color, but brings it more forward instead of keeping the subject looking bleached. If that makes sense. I can get behind anyone who does that. Pictures capture a lot of unwanted detail.
There is a reason you never see fish in a lot of these photos.

Cruddy phone pic.

Some clean up.

Ahh, now we're exaggerating.

 

[blue-thumb]

Coral is expensive. Some vendors go out of their way to show what corals look like in multiple lighting conditions. Other vendors, photoshop there pictures to the max. Size and scale are not identified. I have purchased very expensive coral chips which died within weeks. Smaller frags have a decreased probability of survival. Vendors seldom show pictures of the mature colony. They are all very busy pushing product out the door. They all claim to have some magic potion that leads to instant success. It's all hype! In my opinion, seeing is believing. Don't purchase unless you can see with your own eyes. Look at the tank the frag came from. Meet the person who grew the colony. Decide for yourself.

 

[exnisstech]

Sure, some folks try to fake things to look better, but I'm not so sure that's the norm rather than the outlier.

It is the norm for many, bordering on most vendors.

 

[Kellie in CA]

My latest "expectation vs reality"
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