gor[b] Paul Gorbould: Words and Pictures

PhotoUnrealism

Ahem. It has been suggested that I should probably clarify something frightfully, astoundingly obvious:

Many of the pictures on this blog are silly, poorly-produced Photoshop jobs. They are not real.

Clear?

I try to include an image for every item I post, and I also like have some fun with Photoshop. I like to think of it as a jokey little treat for my three regular readers. (Question: Do you enjoy these? Are they worth the effort? Let me know in the Comments area.)

But, if I were doing this for CBC... well, I should probably return my paycheque. That aside, I'd have to identify doctored photos (like this one) to prevent stupid people from stupidly thinking it was real.

As should be obvious, this blog is not a CBC product. But it was never clear whether or not the CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices apply to my blog, or my Flickr photos, or my Christmas cards. So here's your disclaimer. Please forward it to all gullible people on the internet (hmm, maybe I can buy the mailing list from that Nigerian banking scam.)

To be absolutely, crystal clear about things:

• This is not a lady of the night working the Sunshine City.
  I don't know if Orilla has prostitutes, but if it does, they probably don't ply their trade right in front of the city sign (helpful though that might be.)
• CBC and CTV hosts have never had a war of mutant powers
  
• Buttercup and Westley did not once set foot in Toronto City Hall
• Astronomers have never sighted a stylish coiffure floating in a globular star cluster
• There is no room for mayonnaise in the Cultural Revolution
• Nobody would buy this car

I don't lay claim to any particular skill at photoshopping. To see some really skilled work, check out b3ta, Something Awful, Worth 1000 (my personal fave), and even CBC's own Rick Mercer blog.

Which, I notice, makes little effort to identify fake photos. You'd think it'd be obvious. Except it isn't.