You know the one I mean, the image of the Trump flagship resting peacefully on the bottom of Lake Travis in Texas as posted by Podrock, below.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EhNjljqVoAAU0wY?format=jpg&name=large

It cannot be ruled out. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to me that the flagpole supporting the Trump banner is sharp-edged and distinct, unlike the other items in the image which appear blurred and fuzzy, as you would expect objects to appear when photographed through turbid water from a few feet away. The flagpole also seems to be of uniform tone and color, not a broad spectrum washed-out green like the rest of the boat and its surroundings. The ends of the pole also appear rounded, as if the artifact of some software drawing tool.

No, I don’t think the picture is faked. The incident was well documented and there are good reasons why someone might have photographed it, as I point out in my comments. Still, I am compelled to point out, that my experience in image processing leads me to believe it very well may have been digitally altered. Besides, the “flagpole” looks too thick, bulky, stiff and straight for an antenna or flagstaff you might find on a recreational watercraft, especially one improvised for an impromptu parade.

Compare it to the pale and indistinct upright (a radio antenna, perhaps?) on the starboard side midships of the craft. Its my opinion an existing pole was digitally enhanced to make the image more dramatic and clearer. Its not unusual for news organizations to do this with legitimate and authentic images, although it was usually accomplished with darkroom tricks like dodging and masking in the days prior to digital cameras.

Without this enhancement, the flag would appear to be hanging magically, unattached, in space, as if it had been added as an afterthought. I make no political or propaganda comment with this post, its all about the use (and misuse) of image processing software.