Reality improved
Yesterday we posted a scan of parts of some election porn we had received from the Mary Nolan City Council campaign. An alert reader pointed out that in one of the photos in the mailer, Nolan's hands appear to have had an odd Photoshop job done on them:
Anyone disagree that the shot was doctored? And if it was altered, does anyone know what was in the photo originally?
Comments (38)
I think she had just returned from the West Hills with this, http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/article/thumbnail/15507/money-bags.jpg?1349297482
Posted by Bad Brad | November 1, 2012 1:06 PM
That's not doctored at all. People are imagining things she could have been holding, as the fingertip touch is a common hands-at-rest behavior. The photo grain and light-shading are all too life-like to be a cheap photoshopping job. I'm sure she just paid a decent photographer with all her big bucks.
She is that short in real life by the way; that wasn't photoshopped either.
Posted by Seth Woolley | November 1, 2012 1:14 PM
Uh..,. I'm going to guess, Alex.
"The U of O, O" ?
"Is it the Obama, O"?
"The black Hole for public funds"?
Posted by ltjd | November 1, 2012 1:17 PM
Doesn't look doctored to me.
Posted by Snards | November 1, 2012 1:29 PM
Her left forefinger and thumb, and the space between them, look doctored to me.
Posted by Jack Bog | November 1, 2012 1:32 PM
Doesn't look doctored to me, especially on the blown up image.
Posted by Dave J. | November 1, 2012 1:33 PM
Try putting your hands in that position with nothing in them. If she holds her hands like that while chatting with people, she seems kinda odd.
Posted by Jack Bog | November 1, 2012 1:37 PM
I agree the hands kind of have an altered alien-like quality to them. It also looks like they Photoshopped her face a bit.
Posted by Usual Kevin | November 1, 2012 1:39 PM
At first glance I would have guessed that there had been a big cardboard / styrofoam container of coffee, probably Starbucks. And that the campaign folks and wanted it out so that there was no implication that the Viper had been endorsed by Starbicks.
But the more I look, the more I think its not photoshopped at all. It would be very difficult and time consuming to add in the thumbs, which would have been blocked out if there wsa a container in the hands.
Really looking at it, I don't think it was Photoshopped, or airbrushed or digitally altered. Just a clumsy appearing hand gesture.
Posted by Nonny Mouse | November 1, 2012 1:50 PM
It also looks like they Photoshopped her face a bit.
Yeah, they "yellowed" her teeth a bit - looks great with the orange jacket.
As to the hands, I think it's muscle memory from her pole-dancing gig.
Posted by cc | November 1, 2012 1:52 PM
Another pic with the same people...not holding anything at this point.
http://www.marynolanforcitycouncil.com/about-mary-nolan/
Posted by Rich | November 1, 2012 2:09 PM
Try putting your hands in that position with nothing in them. If she holds her hands like that while chatting with people, she seems kinda odd.
One thing I've noticed over the years is that politicians are weird people, and that they don't know what to do with their hands when they are listening to other people. When THEY are talking, they've got gestures and everything worked out, but when forced into the unusual position of having to LISTEN, they often twiddle their thumbs and do any number of odd things.
Posted by Dave J. | November 1, 2012 2:18 PM
Maybe she was holding a forty.
Posted by Robert Collins | November 1, 2012 2:44 PM
Bird claws!
Posted by Jo | November 1, 2012 3:31 PM
First, the proportions are all wrong. The hand and arm do not read true. However, it may be correct with respect to an individual, that is a departure from expected due to some anomaly.
But the giveaway is what's not in her hands. Look at the top, it's been cut off in a fuzzy almost pixelated fashion. Also how is she containing the object? Look at her pinkies. There is nothing there. I would expect to see the bottom of whatever is she is holding, and if she is actually gripping something, it would extend below the pinkies.
But wait! That's the fabric of her coat. See the zipper? Now how can the fabric extend partially past her thumbs in such a ragged manner?
Conclusion: Whatever she was holding has been removed and a botched patching of another portion of the fabric substituted.
Posted by Starbuck | November 1, 2012 3:38 PM
If it turns out she has arthritis in her hands, won’t you all feel bad?!?
Posted by Pom Mom of LO | November 1, 2012 3:41 PM
Doesn't look 'shopped to me. Maybe she has long, skinny fingers and the angle is just right to hide her palms between the thumb and forefinger. Background seems to match up. I'm gonna guess it's just an odd-looking coincidence.
Posted by Downtown Denizen | November 1, 2012 4:11 PM
Dave: "One thing I've noticed over the years is that politicians are weird people * * *."
Denizen: "Maybe she has long, skinny fingers * * *."
You guys means like this!!?
http://qiola.deviantart.com/art/Alien-Hand-41373843
Weird, Long, and Skinny...
Posted by Ted | November 1, 2012 4:49 PM
She almost has a Mr. Burns thing going with her hands...excellent!
http://www.fanpop.com/spots/the-simpsons/quiz/show/520/when-mr-burns-runs-governor-springfield-what-campaign-slogan
Posted by Rich | November 1, 2012 5:04 PM
the reason it's not shopped is that the area behind where the "object" would have been is perfect. If she'd been holding something, the photo-alterer would have had to pretty much draw her thumbs and the front of her jacket from scratch.
There is no reason to do that to remove an item, as the campaign could just as easily use a different photo.
Posted by Zach | November 1, 2012 5:20 PM
And if it was altered, does anyone know what was in the photo originally?
Our wallets.
Posted by Steve | November 1, 2012 5:52 PM
Aw c'mon kids, I was joking around with my photoshop query earlier.
https://bojack.org/2012/10/proud_mary_keep_on_burnin.html#comments
I was more struck by what the pose -- like a mantis.
Posted by Mojo | November 1, 2012 6:15 PM
If you don't see Photoshop here, I can't help you:
Posted by Jack Bog | November 1, 2012 7:29 PM
That has photo shop all over it. For you doubters let me point a few things out:
-Webbing between thumb and forefinger is gone for both hands.
-Right thumb has shifted where the zipper is.
-Middle fingers of both hands have been extended and blurred together at the tips.
-Finger proportions are just not right.
Posted by Darrin | November 1, 2012 8:10 PM
What is that between forefinger and middle finger on left hand? Silly Putty?
Posted by Jack Bog | November 1, 2012 8:28 PM
We've almost got this one licked. Ready for another?
http://tinyurl.com/9lqhcfy
Posted by Concordbridge | November 1, 2012 8:37 PM
Barack Obama's birth certificate.
Posted by Eric L | November 1, 2012 8:40 PM
If you get the DNA test proving or disproving that Palin is the bio mom of the Downs child, please bring it. America likes to believe blatant bullcrap.
Posted by Jack Bog | November 1, 2012 9:07 PM
"That's Entertainment!" -- Thanks, Jack.
Posted by Mojo | November 1, 2012 10:21 PM
Rather than go through all that work and expense of photo-shopping,
they could have easily just cropped the photo above her hands and the photo would have read fine except . . .
they decided they had to show those "hands" . . .
could it be a cult signal?
Posted by clinamen | November 1, 2012 10:28 PM
Let me guess, you can tell by the pixels? Seriously, nothing to see here. She's just got weird bony fingers and is holding them in a somewhat odd position.
Posted by Brad | November 1, 2012 11:09 PM
I reiterate, what is that between forefinger and middle finger on left hand? Silly Putty?
Posted by Jack Bog | November 1, 2012 11:17 PM
Speaking of photoshop. Placeholder list with predictions or someone got a delorean up to 88mph?
http://www.kptv.com/category/224859/oregon-election-results
They have Kate winning 54% to 46% with 400k votes in so far for that race. Some of the other race predictions are interesting.
Posted by JS | November 2, 2012 4:48 AM
I was going with the nothing to see here camp until I enlarged the pic and took a closer look. The middle finger on the right hand (left side of the photo) looks like it had an extra joint added onto it or it was extended for some reason. Unless this is a deformity, that finger is just way too long.
Here's my theory: The middle finger was too prominent in the original photo and looked like an obscene gesture, so the finger was elongated to fillin the space. Should have elongated both fingers,but fingernails are difficult to do with the fine modeling/shading involved.
Posted by Nolo | November 2, 2012 4:52 AM
That visual phenomenon that you're inquiring about Jack is a portion of the palm of that hand, Whoever's hand it is (or isn't).
Posted by Mojo | November 2, 2012 12:06 PM
Photo shopped or not, those hands are creepy. They look like one of the characters in the Kurt Russell remake of "The Thing" starting to morph into its alien form.
Posted by Dave Lister | November 2, 2012 1:03 PM
It is a good thing hardly anyone around here is distracted by the meaningless details of politics.
Posted by niceoldguy | November 3, 2012 8:20 PM
The truth is out: Mary Nolan is an alien! glad I didn't vote for her. There is no way those hands are hers. Something is weird about her hands in that photo. It does seem weird, though, if someone would go through all the trouble to photoshop something out of the picture rather than use another photo or take another photo. Who does the final approval on those kinds of photos? They didn't know that her strange looking hands would draw unnecessary attention / distraction?
Posted by Nicholas Carroll | November 4, 2012 11:10 PM