Fact Check: Photographer Michi Hoshino did not capture last moments on camera
Social media users are claiming that photographer Michi Hoshino took the picture a few moments before his death in 1996.
By Shimron Diana Published on 27 July 2021 4:28 AM GMT
Hyderabad: Social media users are claiming that photographer Michi Hoshino took the picture a few moments before his death in 1996.
"Photographer Michi Hoshino took picture moments before his death in 1996," reads the post.
We also found a related Facebook post with a similar claim.
"Michio Hoshino, a photographer well known for his photographs of dangerous wildlife was mauled to death by a bear inside of his tent while on a shoot in 1996. Discovered on his camera, this is the last photo Michio would ever take (sic)," reads a Facebook post.
Fact Check:
The claim is False. The viral image is not the last picture clicked by Michio Hoshino. However, it is true that he was mauled to death by a brown bear in 1996.
During keyword search, NewsMeter came across an article by New York Times. "Hoshino was attacked by a bear in his tent on the bank of a lake at about 4 A.M, the newspaper said. The other team members heard Hoshino's screams and came running, but the bear dashed into the woods dragging Hoshino. Searchers later found his body in the woods," the report said.
According to the article, Hoshino was attacked at 4 a.m.
However, if we notice the virally circulated image, we find the surroundings very bright, as if it is broad daylight. Hence, it is clear that the image is photoshopped.
We conducted a reverse image search. We came across a picture of the bear which looks similar to the animal in the viral image.
https://images.app.goo.gl/
We also noticed that the light reflected on objects is from different directions, which is not how it is in real life.
Notice the varied reflection in the image
This image was sent as part of a contest where photographers had to share photoshopped pictures. Michio Hoshino was a part of the contest.
https://www.designcrowd.com/
Conclusion: Hence the claim is false. Viral image is not the last picture taken by Michio Hoshino although it is true that he was mauled to death by a brown bear in 1996.
