Amazing One Hour Workout (Results shown here are Absolutely Real)

Last edited Sat Jul 27, 2013, 02:33 PM - Edit history (5)

I love stuff like this. Our thoughts and feelings are shaped so much by images, even while we recognize that they are (and are increasingly) unreliable. A photograph of a politician giving a speech is "real" but during one minute of talking every person looks like a sage, a moron, a saint, a lecher, a zombie... just depends on the millisecond the picture is snapped. So the editorial judgment of which photo to use is bound to be as much commentary as news.

But even knowing all that we tend to think of, or perhaps more so feel that, photos are true. It is probably our nature to credit what we see. Why not? We didn't evolve with cameras.

And no photoshop is needed to make a false picture. (In fact, most pictures are false in some way. People don't really smile all the time. We are trained to NOT have accurate pictures taken of us, but rather pictures with a maximum likable emotional response... look at the camera and smile. And don't get me started on real estate photos... )

(By the way, some minor parts of the overall effect here that tickles me... the 'after' picture looks like a much taller man, but the figure is only slightly larger. But look at how much space is above and below the two figures. Our impression of height comes from looking at the top of things, which makes perfect sense in real life where horizons are pretty consistent. In these two photos, though, the fact the 'after' head is higher in the picture doesn't mean the figure is taller. The 'after' feet are higher too, but we don't form our first impression of height by looking down. Also, the 'after' picture is taken with the camera a bit lower to the ground. The 'before' picture is more looking eye level so the head is bigger and the body smaller. The 'after' picture is more chest level and you can see the difference it makes. Longer neck, stronger shoulders, weight seemingly more balanced. And a last thing—people are usually 6.5-7 heads tall. In paintings (and with some photo models) proportions are statuesque or 'heroic' with figures 8 or more heads tall because it looks better. The smaller the head the more imposing the body looks. This guy shaving his head makes him look taller and makes his upper body look bigger, just because it is bigger relative to the apparent size of his head.)