an oddity in a photo

I was advised to upload this image here to get some insight. I took this photo on my Moto G, not behind any glass, yet there appears to be a reflection in it.

It is a photo of smoke plumes over Funchal, Madeira two weeks ago. There was nothing in front of me when I took the photo.

Any ideas why the bus reflections show in the pic? I'm assuming the buses were beside me, but I've no idea. I only noticed when I got home.

TheBrinch

It looks like you are inside a vehicle (due to the reflection of headrest and drivers rearview mirror) and taking a photo out the window. Are you sure there wasnt a window in front of you?

TheBrinch

TheBrinch wrote: »

It looks like you are inside a vehicle (due to the reflection of headrest and drivers rearview mirror) and taking a photo out the window. Are you sure there wasnt a window in front of you?

Certain. I was standing on the side of the road. There was nothing in front of me at all.

It's genuinely like two photos have been superimposed on eachother, like used to happen sometimes with old film cameras.

cnocbui

I would say it is perhaps an unintentional sort of double exposure. All my image apps say it's corrupt. The phone may have overwritten one photo with another due to a glitch like a passing cosmic ray.

cnocbui

cnocbui wrote: »

I would say it is perhaps an unintentional sort of double exposure. All my image apps say it's corrupt. The phone may have overwritten one photo with another due to a glitch like a passing cosmic ray.

That sounds plausible, because as others noted there is a rear view mirror and headrests in the photo, but I can guarantee it was taken from the side of the street. However earlier in the day I was on a tour where I took photos from a mini bus. This one definitely not. Even looking now at the road, it wasn't taken on such a curve and that close to the street.

This is a phone camera, and it's a bit of a sh*t phone. Can this sort of exposure happen with a phone camera?

TheChizler

cnocbui wrote: »

I would say it is perhaps an unintentional sort of double exposure. All my image apps say it's corrupt. The phone may have overwritten one photo with another due to a glitch like a passing cosmic ray.

That's can't really happen and have any sort of valid picture after. Do you remember taking a picture with the other image? Any lens or case on the camera?

What's the dark door frame like object on the right?

TheChizler

On google street view can you turn around and see could both images be taken from the same position?

TheChizler

TheChizler wrote: »

That's can't really happen and have any sort of valid picture after. Do you remember taking a picture with the other image? Any lens or case on the camera?

What's the dark door frame like object on the right?

It's a phone camera. I can't explain any of what's in the pic. It wasn't in my surroundings. I'll have a look for others pics taken in the same area of the plumes too (if I can find them) and upload those.

benjamin d

Unless you were standing on the roadway of what is clearly a roundabout you're either telling porkies or you're in a bus. Absolutely no question.

- That's a roundabout
- That's a window reflection of seat headrests and a view out another window
- There's a window frame on the right

sheesh

whats the black bar on the bottom rhs looks like a frame of a window. OP possibly took a picture inside the bus and forgot they did.

benjamin d

benjamin d wrote: »

Unless you were standing on the roadway of what is clearly a roundabout you're either telling porkies or you're in a bus. Absolutely no question.

- That's a roundabout
- That's a window reflection of seat headrests and a view out another window
- There's a window frame on the right

I was on a bus earlier that day, and took loads of pics from a bus. However I was back on terra firma when the fire broke out. I see the roundabout, I was actually not near the roundabout when I photographed the smoke! I'm going to look through my discarded holiday pics and see if there are any that match the scene (having been in Funchal a week I actually know the roundabout, and that photo was NOT taken at that roundabout - the surrounding buildings also back up that I was on the seafront and not near that roundabout.

No lies here, I'm serial!

sheesh

sheesh wrote: »

whats the black bar on the bottom rhs looks like a frame of a window. OP possibly took a picture inside the bus and forgot they did.

The fire hadn't broken out while I was on the bus!

I'm starting to doubt my own sanity, except to say that I know the fire broke out after we finished our bus tour on the Monday evening. By Tuesday morning that whole area was black smoke and flames. I see exactly what people are saying, can see it myself now it's pointed out, but definitely this picture could not have been taken from a bus, unless someone robbed my phone, took a picture from a bus, then somehow got it back to me without me noticing!

Can phones eff up like this and merge photos?

Gremlinertia

There's a horror movie story waiting to be told!.

Never saw anything like this happen with a digital type camera before..

Is it possible a vehicle was passing by right at the time I took the picture?

Gremlinertia

Could you google street view the exact area?. Trying to get my head around which features belong in which photograph if indeed there is an overlap of some sort..

Gremlinertia

Gremlinertia wrote: »

Could you google street view the exact area?. Trying to get my head around which features belong in which photograph if indeed there is an overlap of some sort..

Trying.... Wait! I'm currently stuck in Funchal virtually. Flashbacks.

I'm really knackered right now. I promise to get on top of all the locations and my other photos taken from the bus, tomorrow evening.

TheChizler

Check the date and time on the photo, might help you remember.

TheChizler

TheChizler wrote: »

Check the date and time on the photo, might help you remember.

I did, and it confirmed that it was definitely taken after we got back from the bus tour, and before the fire started!

Gremlinertia

Deleted User wrote: »

I did, and it confirmed that it was definitely taken after we got back from the bus tour, and before the fire started!

WTF?

Gremlinertia

Gremlinertia wrote: »

WTF?

The photo is of the big fire that happened in north Funchal on the 8th of August. I was in the town before the fire started, hence the picture couldn't have been taken from a bus. But I was on a bus up to maybe 70 minutes before. And taking pics.

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

The photo is of the big fire that happened in north Funchal on the 8th of August. I was in the town before the fire started, hence the picture couldn't have been taken from a bus. But I was on a bus up to maybe 70 minutes before. And taking pics.

I was also in Funchal while the big fire was happening, have some non distorted pics taken out the back of the hotel of flames engulfing the banana crops! It was a bit scary. We did put our passports in our hand luggage just in case. Was very surreal, and as much as the hotel staff and others in the town tried to reassure us tourists that everything was ok, everyone knew it wasn't!

Experience and a half though. Especially the 40 degree heat and wind so hot it could possibly burn your skin.

magicbastarder

as mentioned above, on the right is a window frame - which is not 'superimposed' in the same way what appears to be the reflection in the window appears 'superimposed'. plus, the frame itself is reflected in what purports to be the glass. so if it was a double exposure phenomenon, this does not explain the solidity of the frame.

i'm invoking occam's razor on this.

Cianmcliam

So was the original photo taken while standing on the road inside a large roundabout??!?

sbsquarepants

I think you've mixed it up in your memory some how (scoops possibly, you were on holidays!:D).
If you aren't sitting on that bus, it's sitting on you, you'd have to be 1m or so from the roundabouts edge into the middle of the road, right where the bus is!

cnocbui

Gremlinertia wrote: »

There's a horror movie story waiting to be told!.

Never saw anything like this happen with a digital type camera before..

I can intentionally take double exposures with my camera, but I haven't seen mention of any phone camera having that ability.

Alanstrainor

Deleted User wrote: »

I was advised to upload this image here to get some insight. I took this photo on my Moto G, not behind any glass, yet there appears to be a reflection in it.

It is a photo of smoke plumes over Funchal, Madeira two weeks ago. There was nothing in front of me when I took the photo.

Any ideas why the bus reflections show in the pic? I'm assuming the buses were beside me, but I've no idea. I only noticed when I got home.

Everything about this image points to it being taken inside a bus/van. Even the angle of the reflection accurately portrays the angels you would expect the interior to reflect from. And then there's the position the photo was taken from, on the road, on a large roundabout, in the middle of the day, where it looks like no particular advantage could be gained by being on the road vs on the roundabout.

Nothing about this suggests it's a double exposure setting on a phone... OP, your memory is just playing tricks. (Or your playing tricks with us!)

derb12

Perhaps someone else took the photo (from a bus obviously), shared it on Whatsapp and so it appears in your photos? I know that my iPhone puts other people's photos in with mine until I finally get around to changing the settings. Maybe your phone is the same?

benjamin d

Ok here's the proof that there is nothing wacky going on with the photo.

You (or someone else) took the photo from inside a bus that was sitting just behind the arrow closest to the roundabout here > https://goo.gl/maps/4YLgevNUhpL2
This is an old image and the roundabout has been redesigned since then. The current roundabout looks like this > https://goo.gl/maps/otpbHCv78TR2

If you look around that roundabout to the equivalent location of the previous link (look left where the two yellow buses are), you'll see all of the road furniture that's in your reflection, including the brown sign at the bottom of the group of five finger signs, and the set of traffic lights.
You also clearly see the red and white no entry sign that's in the centre of your photo, the three dark lines on the pavement and all the other bollards and lamp-posts etc.

QED

lawred2

Deleted User wrote: »

I was advised to upload this image here to get some insight. I took this photo on my Moto G, not behind any glass, yet there appears to be a reflection in it.

It is a photo of smoke plumes over Funchal, Madeira two weeks ago. There was nothing in front of me when I took the photo.

Any ideas why the bus reflections show in the pic? I'm assuming the buses were beside me, but I've no idea. I only noticed when I got home.

you're in a bus

the window pillar is clearly visible

I can time travel?

TheChizler

Deleted User wrote: »

I can time travel?

The picture is clearly taken from a road. Do you remember taking any pictures at that junction while standing in the road?

benjamin d

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I can time travel?

I've shown incontrovertibly that the photo is not a double exposure or anything else out of the ordinary. Others above have suggested explanations for why the photo is there such as a whatsapp message or just Occam's Razor.
There is DEFINITELY nothing strange about the picture itself.

sheesh

I'm beginning to wonder what was in the smoke that the op does not remember taking a picture of it on a bus.

humberklog

OP if you took this pic whilst not in a bus it would mean that you were standing on the road on a roundabout. There's a pedestrian crossing about 20m away, surely you would be standing there and not on the road?

Pic was taken on a bus.

frozenfrozen

Have you got a carbon monoxide alarm OP? Not joking, there was something similar to this before where a guy thought someone was breaking into his house and leaving him sticky notes but it turns out he was writing them to himself and imagining everything else, and it was down to carbon monoxide...

frozenfrozen

Also, are you accounting for a time zone change in your 70 minutes difference between the start of the fire? Your phone is on Irish time now but could've been an hour different while over there..

Dehydration / beers / being on holidays mode / confabulation / carbon monoxide, regardless of cause we've all been there for being absolutely sure of something and it being wrong

Turquoise Hexagon Sun

You took this photo on the bus. Probably because you seen the smoke. Otherwise I can't see much purpose in the photo to begin with. Even if you tried to recreate a double exposure to mimic taking a photo on the bus with reflections and adding smoke, it wouldn't be this accurate.

So rather than looking a reasons that have low to zero probability such as a double exposure, I would wager it's the memory of the op is a little off, unless I'm missing something.

The photo is showing as being taken in a van as seen by the reflection of the other window on the opposite side of the van. The angle of the reflection of both windows corresponds with each other as the windows aren't completely vertical, they're at an angle was the come from top to bottom.

The plume of smoke is there behind the housing and appears to be apart of the image as one would expect. Maybe the OP originally dismissed it as clouds?

Maybe the OP ignored the smoke as cloud originally then, learning of the fire has got the time of events mixed up ie. going off the time of the exif data, which may or may not have been in accordance with local time. As far as I'm aware Funchal is GMT, same as us. When going back over the photos, OP notices that was smoke (but in his memory, the fire hadn't started yet).

And lets look at the photo.. what's the motivation to take a photo like that? I would say, sitting on a bus, you noticed smoke and took a photo.

Funchal was a total surreal experience for me. It was difficult to get onto the island and very difficult (to the tune of 500 euro) to get off it. I know that I was on a bus at a roundabout and took a pic of the valley from there, but I can guarantee the fire had not started at that time. My phone is a total ar5eholeof a phone, and reboots itself for no reason sometimes.

Well, let's all agree to disagree. I was on a bus during my holiday, but the fire was seperate of this. I think my photos regardless of what people say here did actually jump all over each other. Also would explain why I only had 2 pics out of loads I took up the mountain that day. None of them were on my phone.

Myksyk

In the words of the great Bill O'Herlihy... We'll leave it there so.