How did he do that?

photoshop paradox

How did he do that?  Is that the first question you asked when you looked at this picture?  Look again.  Notice all of the people in the picture (and in the picture in the picture) are the same person.  Notice, too, that the person in the foreground is holding the picture being taken in the background.  To really blow your mind, scroll down to the bottom of this post to see the picture taken by the photographer in the background.  Click on either picture to link to larger versions for closer examination.

Impressed?  I was.  There are lots of examples of photoshopped dopplegangers on flickr, but few are this intricate.  With most others, it’s easy to see how how multiple images could be merged into one because the different images don’t interact and sometimes don’t even overlap.  When I look at these two pictures, I’m intrigued by how they were made.  Which image was taken first?  How many images were included?  These questions got me to thinking: I bet ESL students would have the same questions.  And it would be linguistically challenging to analyze these two photos (possibly by first priming them with something simpler) in the target language.

Next time you want to generate some discussion in your class, consider showing your students these images.  (They’re licensed under the Creative Commons, which virtually eliminates any copyright concerns.)  The discussion could lead to students planning their own doppleganger photos.  Even if they don’t have the photo editing skills or resources to pull it off, planning out the scene and even taking some of the photos required to make their own composite image could be a very interesting exercise.

photoshop paradox

5 Comments

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5 responses to “How did he do that?

  1. soooooooo impressed!!!!! yeah, how did he do that?:)

  2. I appreciate you sharing this awesome photo. It is impressive! Also, as a fellow educator, I appreciate the fact that you’re inspired to create a lesson idea/plan from something fascinating you came across. I’m sure you’re a great teacher, just from this simple observation.

    • Thanks for your comment. Also, credit where it’s due: This photo was uploaded to Flickr by its creator, who uses the username pochacco20. It is outstanding work and has been widely regarded in other circles before I posted it. In fact, his reaction to other comments he has received, which can be found on this photo’s Flick page, are very interesting and funny.

  3. Pingback: How Did He Do That? Revisited « ESL Technology.com

  4. Pingback: How Did He Do That, Too? « ESL Technology.com

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