WWI dogfight photo – how genuine?

No, they wouldn’t. The limit is not the lenses, but the composition of the film emulsion.

To have a good depth-of-field (small aperture) and short exposure times (required if the aircraft are to not be blurred) requires “modern” “high-speed” film chemical make-up, which was not available in the WW1 era – it was invented in the 1940s & later.

Although as far as focus goes, wouldn’t camera lenses at that time, have had a very good depth of field ?

WW1 Colour

There is, of course, some absolutely stunning genuine colour WW1 images. Some from the Australian War Memorial / NSW Library (using the Paget method) collection and some from a French Photographer Paul Castelnau also from the AWM Collection.
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I am mindful, using Canon’s finest, just how difficult it has been to capture a half a dozen tail chasing Spitfires in to one frame at ‘Legends’ past.

Mark

The simple matter of speeds of available film at the time would render the question superfluous.

It’s a thought. I recently wrote an article in the Hollywood Stunt pilots of the 20s and 30s. Fascinating stuff. If you look up stills from movies of that era, you’ll quickly note how different they are to these fakes.

There’s lots wrong with these fakes, too much to list, but the original photographer must be given credit for ensuring the models (another credit) don’t look ‘model-like’.

Regards,

Nice to have it confirmed, of course, but it did occur to me after posting the first post that it could have been from something like Hells Angels or The Dawn Patrol (both 1930), both of which used genuine WWI aircraft and without the need to shoot at each other it would have been easier to set up scenes like those above.

Leo Opdycke in his excellent WW1 Aero series had several well written articles about these photos.
Yes, all FAKES.

I recall that my brother had (and probably still has) the book “Death in the Air” in which all these pictures appeared. He was convinced they were genuine but I always suspected they were faked. JDK’s link above confirms it.

An example from a well documented set of fakes. Fascinating story behind them though. Full SP here:

http://petapixel.com/2013/08/13/faked-world-war-i-dogfight-pictures-go-on-auction-block/

Couple of points – most Great War historians of such imagery were well aware they were fake from the impossibility of their creation well before 1984. And the article uses ‘ejecting’ rather than the even less pleasant reality…

They are credible in a way, but I knew what I was going to see when I clicked on the thread title. They have a particular style…

Worth a bit of research of Frank Hurley’s W.W.I composite images for a contrast in the manipulation of the image honestly.

Regards,

Statistically, the odds against having all five aircraft in the viewfinder at the same instant like this are just too unlikely. Adding more aircraft to the melee just makes it even more unlikely,
Jim

I do not know for a fact, but in my opinion it looks doctored. Perhaps a composite image, or as you suggest models. Photoshop before there was photoshop….

Perhaps a still from a contemporary film largely using models? The lighting etc on the aircraft makes them look rather toy-like.

I would have to say it doesn’t look authentic…but possibly a period propoganda piece. But i know i have seen one or two genuine in the air dogfight photo’s somewhere.