Who Originally Took This Somewhat Famous Photo?

[Bill Tabor]

Had another viral email with an embed of this photo but with an oil rig in the front photoshop'ed in. Who originally shot this cool pic, and is this the non retouched form?

http://earfarm.com/dev/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/tornado.jpg

[Jason Foster]

Had another viral email with an embed of this photo but with an oil rig in the front photoshop'ed in. Who originally shot this cool pic, and is this the non retouched form?

http://earfarm.com/dev/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/tornado.jpg

My framed picture says ©Fred K. Smith

[Jim Leonard]

The story I heard is that this was taken over Lake Okeechobee in Florida sometime back in the 1970's. This photo has been used for everything to examples of hurricanes, EL-Nino and global warming by the news media. I just hope the photographer has been making royalities from this.

[Chris McBee]

I remember seeing that pic for the first time in an issue of National Geographic in the early to mid '90s. It was featured in an article about lightning, and the picture was described as a lightning strike and waterspout over Lake Okeechobee, Fla.

Ten people must have e-mailed me that photoshopped pic with the oil rig earlier this year.

[Chris Strahan]

if my memory serves me correctly... the guy was doing lightning photography. Set the camera up to do some long exposures, and when he retrieved his pics, he had that waterspout picture. I forget the source, but I believe it was in the NatGeo from the 90's.

[mikegeukes]

Fred Smith is the photographer.

One source mentions:
Amateur photographer Fred Smith photographed the waterspout and lightning on June 15, 1991 from his backyard overlooking Lake Okeechobee, Florida.
http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/photo_database/image/not_what_you_want_to_see/

Jesse Ferrell of AccuWeather mentions it was taken in June 15, 1993
http://www.accuweather.com/mt-news-blogs.asp?blog=weathermatrix&partner=accuweather&pgUrl=/mtweb/content/weathermatrix/archives/2006/04/freds_lightning_1.asp

http://www.accuweather.com/mt-news-blogs.asp?blog=weathermatrix&partner=gctelegram&pgUrl=/mtweb/content/weathermatrix/archives/2006/04/weather_photos_1.asp

[GPhillips]

It was on the cover of the Preprints from the 1993 AMS 17th Conference on Severe Local Storms.

The reference to the front cover states:

"The picture of this tornado and a lightning stroke over Lake Okeechobee was taken at approximately 10 p.m. on 15 June 1991." and "The photograph was taken and kindly supplied by Mr. Fred Smith, who retains all rights. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited."

[Jim Saueressig]

The picture of a tornado and lightning stroke over Lake Okeechobee was taken at about 10 PM on June 15, 1991. The photograph was taken by Mr. Fred Smith. Link to Archive of Original (http://web.archive.org/web/20031125223558/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mlb/hwofiles/svrwxrules.html)

Others used as tornado lightning shots. (click any for original info)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/64/215892543_7ebe558144.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/malden_dj/215892543/sizes/o/)

http://tornadostore.net/bmz_cache/5/5da8b4dea013ff955b436510822307ba.image.150x120.jpg (http://tornadostore.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=203)

http://www.ukimagehost.com/uploads/9f3deafe30.jpg (http://digg.com/odd_stuff/Tornado_Lightning_Rainbow_pic)

http://www.sciencephotogallery.com/image/Tornado-and-Lightning-in-a-Midwestern-Field_1065238.jpg?mediatype=2&mediaid=1065238&pvw=676 (http://www.sciencephotogallery.com/pictures_1065238/Tornado-and-Lightning-in-a-Midwestern-Field.html)

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ilx/events/may302004/Secor%20Tornado%20Lightning%20Strike.jpg (http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ilx/events/may302004/may30.php)

[Benjamin Rock]

I have a Nat Geo mousepad with that photo on it. When i saw the photoshopped version with the oil rig I like" What the F*** is this???" I hate it when someone else ruins a beautiful photo and claims it as theirs.

[John Hudson]

I have a Nat Geo mousepad with that photo on it. When i saw the photoshopped version with the oil rig I like" What the F*** is this???" I hate it when someone else ruins a beautiful photo and claims it as theirs.

I'll second that one. That is a real cool pic; on of my all-time favorites.

While I realize that Photoshop serves a very real and useful function, it makes me cringe a little because of the number of ways it can be abused. In the future, just how is one going to be able to tell the difference between fact and fiction?

Personally, I guess I'm a bit of a purist. If I take a great shot, I'll naturally be pleased. If I blow it, too bad. In any case, I'd rather all my photography stayed "real". The photo should express what the camera "saw", nothing more and nothing less.

There, I'll get off my soap box now ;)


John
VE4 JTH

[Aaron Kennedy]

FYI for the photos Jim posted.

First one is a video capture, so Meh ;)
Third one looks like a PS job to me.

[Warren Faidley]

The third one down, a photograph from the famous Laverne, OK event, was photoshoped by another photographer who shared the digital use rights from a previous agent. By contract, they are supposed to title the image as "manipulated." Thanks for pointing that out to me.

Warren

[Jason Foster]

Here is the poster where I got the copyright info. It is a predominant poster in my home office....which is a mess right now, sorry!

http://www.weatherwarrior.net/blog/photos/IMG_4922st.jpg

In the large size, it looks really good, and I'm sure has been fully worked over to be as good as it is. I can tell that there is a slight blur to the bottom of the funnel, which likely is a result of a short time exposure. It certainly looks to be the tornadic type of waterspout. I bet it wouldn't be too hard to find the exact spot, since there isn't all that many radio towers in Okeechobee. Perhaps someone down that way could try (for fun) to find the spot.

[Bill Tabor]

Thanks guys for all the useful information. Another mystery solved. We storm chasers sure know our storms and storm pictures! :D

[Greg Campbell]

The third one down, a photograph from the famous Laverne, OK event, was photoshoped by another photographer who shared the digital use rights from a previous agent. By contract, they are supposed to title the image as "manipulated." Thanks for pointing that out to me.

Warren

Is the lightning yours, Warren? :(

It's clearly a hack-and-paste job. The fine detail and halo around the bolt are things you'd never see in daylight, even beneath a storm.


I seem to recall the lightning + tube making the cover of NG way back when.

[Jim Saueressig]

The third one down, a photograph from the famous Laverne, OK event, was photoshoped by another photographer who shared the digital use rights from a previous agent. By contract, they are supposed to title the image as "manipulated." Thanks for pointing that out to me.

Warren

Yeah it was obviously shopped but it has invaded the web, Google "Tornado lightning rainbow" It is all over. I had to fix the link as it disappeared from the one I posted.

[Paul Austin]

My favorite version (post #4):

http://www.stormtrack.org/forum/showthread.php?t=17338&highlight=fireworks

;)

[Nathan Withrow]

I have a Nat Geo mousepad with that photo on it. When i saw the photoshopped version with the oil rig I like" What the F*** is this???" I hate it when someone else ruins a beautiful photo and claims it as theirs.

I also have the mousepad of this picture! What one amazing shot this guy got!

[Scott Weberpal]

The third one down, a photograph from the famous Laverne, OK event, was photoshoped by another photographer who shared the digital use rights from a previous agent. By contract, they are supposed to title the image as "manipulated." Thanks for pointing that out to me.

Warren

This must be the original?

http://www.weatherstock.com/tornado-gallery/slides/T04.html

[Bob Hartig]

Great shot, but the original has an oil rig in it.

Just kidding! I remember seeing the original photo in National Geographic (minus the oil rig) back in the early 90s and being absolutely stunned. Talk about serendipity.

[Larry J. Kosch]

Had another viral email with an embed of this photo but with an oil rig in the front photoshop'ed in. Who originally shot this cool pic, and is this the non retouched form?

http://earfarm.com/dev/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/tornado.jpg

Since others have correctly identified the photo, I want to point out the "oil rig" on the right side is the lights from a radio transmission tower. :D

[Joe Schaub]

Speaking of famous images, there is film of a tornado that is pure black against a light background. The tornado is over a field and the film looks like it is from the 1950's or the 1960's. I would love to get a copy of that film sequence

[Joshua Nall]

Since others have correctly identified the photo, I want to point out the "oil rig" on the right side is the lights from a radio transmission tower. :D


They are talking about a manipulated version of the photo with a huge oil rig photoshoped in on the left side.

See here:

http://www.arkansashunting.net/showthread.php?t=44750

Further down on the page someone has photoshoped in Godzilla chewing on an Islamic terrorist, haha.

Josh