This Olympic Picture : Worth a thousand words?

13th August 2008

The opening ceremony of the Olympic games in China will go down in history, as it was the most breathtaking yet, if a little unfriendly.

However, those billions watching worldwide, as we are finding out now, were hoodwinked by some of the imagery: The aerial shots of fireworks exploding across the city of Beijing turned out to be computer-generated and then there was the revelation that the little girl singing a song was miming to another girl's voice who was hidden under a stairwell somewhere in the bowels of the stadium (she had the perfect voice but not the perfect face, poor lamb)! Unfortunate publicity for China, given the astounding scale of the opening ceremony, something that even without the "extras" one could never expect London to match in 2012. Computer generated pearly queens selling whelks may be a little short of the mark.

But this is of course not the first time the Chinese have been caught out - their desperate attempt several years back (see photo below) promoting their green credentials is another withering example....

Doctoring photos is obviously nothing new, something that tourist boards across the world have become experts at. Cropping out main roads, masking 'Brits Abroad' and airbrushing blue skies are all tools of the trade. Tantalising photos of beautiful people on equally beautiful beaches are hard currency for any magazine or brochure, keen on seducing the 'tick-off' brigade, as indeed they are on endless websites.

The irony that people no longer judge or trust what they are shown is not lost on Exodus. We endeavour to ensure all our literature uses imagery that does truly reflect the country and its culture. Crucially, whether it is a safari, trek, on two wheels or by boat we always give time to properly appreciate an area, time to engage with local cultures. Each month our photographic competition is burgeoning with entries from people who have enjoyed 'time' in spectacular locations, not ones hopefully, who have just 'clicked-off' some shots and then done their fraudulent 'doctoring' at home.