A dramatic whitehaven lighthouse storm photo looked wrong to one local photographer. Checking it led him to a portfolio that, he says, is full of AI-generated work.
Whitehaven sits on the Cumbrian coast of England, a short distance from the Lake District National Park. Photographers come for its harbor, which dates to 1517. American Revolutionary War forces led by John Paul Jones raided the town in that war.
Spotting a suspicious whitehaven lighthouse storm photo
Dave Wilson was scrolling the myWhitehaven Facebook page when a stormy harbor shot caught his eye. It showed the Whitehaven lighthouse during a storm that damaged property, knocked down trees, and tore roofs off buildings.
The post reported gusts of 77 miles per hour. Wilson, who is a photographer and holds a commercial drone pilot certification, says no one could safely fly in those conditions. “To fly something in those conditions is reckless,” he told PetaPixel by phone. “And it just wouldn’t happen, because if it’s over the top speed of the drone, you’re not going to get it back.”
Wilson left a comment under the picture saying he believed the image was AI-generated. The account behind the photos, Aerial Perspectives, replied that the pictures were real. It said they were shot on a DJI Air 3S in severe weather.
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In a YouTube video that has drawn hundreds of thousands of views, Wilson describes his reaction. “I didn’t believe this,” he says. “And it matters to me because it’s simply misrepresentation.”
Watermarks and deleted comments
The administrators of the myWhitehaven page did not share Wilson’s view. They deleted his comments.
Wilson then tested the image with OpenAI’s Verify website, one of several ai image detection tools. According to Wilson, the tool checks images for C2PA metadata or a SynthID watermark, two common markers used to flag AI-generated images. The results matched his suspicion that AI had been involved.
He ran more images from the Aerial Perspectives website through the same tool. Nearly every image in the portfolio carried a SynthID watermark, Wilson reports. SynthID is a watermark embedded in the image itself, not visible to the eye.
Wilson says he does not believe the photos were made with malicious intent. He does think the person behind the account believes AI use is acceptable. In his view, that approach “changes the whole aspect of the pictures completely.”
The company’s response
Aerial Perspectives first stood by the stormy harbor images. It said its team “consists of five people, three of whom are drone pilots, with the other two helping with administration when needed.”
The company later sent PetaPixel a lengthy statement from Jake. He blamed an “individual who was previously part of our team” for creating the stormy harbor image and said the company should not have presented it as genuine. “I take responsibility for how this situation has affected the business, even though I was not the individual who created that image,” he said.
Jake rejects the claim that the whole portfolio is AI-generated. “We have spent considerable time and effort carrying out genuine photography across Cumbria, capturing landscapes, local landmarks, businesses, harbors, and other locations,” he said. He added that the company keeps original files and supporting metadata to show the photos are authentic.
Jake also said he adds the company’s watermark to photos using ChatGPT. He said this is why the SynthID watermark appears in his images.
PetaPixel has asked to see the RAW files behind the disputed images. The publication will update this story if it receives them.
Source: petapixel.com
Frequently asked questions
Why did a photographer think the Whitehaven storm photo was AI-generated?
Dave Wilson, a photographer with a commercial drone pilot certification, said no one could safely fly a drone in the storm conditions shown. He argued that flying in those conditions would be reckless and that a drone exceeding its top speed would not be recovered.
What is SynthID and how was it used to check images?
SynthID is a watermark embedded in the image itself that is not visible to the eye. Wilson tested images with OpenAI’s Verify website, which checks for C2PA metadata or SynthID, and he reported that nearly every image in the Aerial Perspectives portfolio carried a SynthID watermark.
What did Aerial Perspectives say about the stormy harbor image?
The company first said the image was real and taken on a DJI Air 3S in severe weather. Later, its leader Jake blamed a former team member for creating the image and said the company should not have presented it as genuine.
Why do Aerial Perspectives’ photos contain a SynthID watermark?
Jake said the company adds its own watermark to photos using ChatGPT. He said this process is why the SynthID watermark appears in its images.
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