Photographers reveal how to fake influencer travel photos with a TV

Two photographers have revealed how to perfectly spoof typical influencer travel photos with a TV screen.

Photographers Manuel Bechter and Manuel “Romez” Rom created stunning images that show them hiking in the snow, camping in the mountains and flying in a plane to a faraway destination – all from the comfort of their living room.

One of the most popular images shows Bechter apparently sitting in a tent drinking a cup of hot tea while staring into the mountainous landscape behind him.

But the idyllic mountainous backdrop was actually a TV screen.

@manuel_bechter Camping on a budget 🏕️ Photo idea at home 📸 #portretfotografing #fotoshoot #kreativfotografi #manuelbechter ♬ original sound – manuel_bechter

Bechters and Romez’s behind-the-scenes videos from their influencer travel photo shoot have racked up millions of views on TikTok and left social media users stunned by the compelling results.

“The whole series actually started as a spontaneous idea,” the content creators say PetaPixel.

“We were sitting at home in front of a big TV screen and suddenly got the inspiration to play with different images as backgrounds for our next videos.

“The message we’re trying to convey is to show our followers with the behind-the-scenes footage that you shouldn’t always believe what you see on the Internet.

“Maybe other influencers might not fake their photos the way we did, but behind most influencer photos there are usually a lot of Photoshop tricks to get the most attention and likes.”

@manuel_bechter Hiking on a budget 🏔️ Photo idea at home 📸 #photoinspo #photographytricks #photography #tiktokart ♬ original sound – manuel_bechter

Bechter and Romez, who used a Sony A7iv with a Sigma 85mm 1.4 lens to take the images, say they always started by choosing the image to show as the backdrop on the TV screen.

The photographers then matched the outfit, props and lighting to fit the theme of the photo shoot, such as artificial snow for the fake snow hike photo.

While the photo series went viral, Bechter and Romez say the photos were shared by some social media users — who couldn’t believe that photos could be faked so easily.

@manuel_bechter Flying on a budget ✈️ Airplane window view photo trick 📸 #photography #creativephotography #photoidea #fyp #manuelbechter ♬ original sound – manuel_bechter

“The reaction to this photo series from our community was really interesting – we’ve never received such contrasting comments on any of our previous photos,” explain the photographers.

“Many thought the idea was cool but were shocked that these types of images are so easy to fake and described it as eye-opening for them.

“Then others accused us of even showing such an idea to the public and argued that because of ideas like these, social media would continue to become more and more fake.

“Overall, it was really fun to read all the different input on this contentious topic.”

PetaPixel previously reported on how Bechter and Romez perfectly recreated Annie Leibovitz’s record-breaking photo of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

More of Bechter and Romez’s work can be seen on their website, YouTube channel and TikTok.

Follow Bechter on Instagram and Romez on Instagram.

Image credit: Header Photo left by Manuel Bechter & Romez, right by Annie Leibovitz