Photographers Reveal How to Fake Influencer Travel Photos with a TV

Two photographers have revealed how to perfectly fake typical influencers’ travel photos with a television screen.

Photographers Manuel Bechter and Manuel “Romez” Rom created stunning images which show them trekking 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 photos shows Bechter seemingly sitting in a tent and drinking a cup of hot tea as he gazes into the mountainous landscape behind him.

But, the idyllic mountainous backdrop was actually a television screen.

@manuel_bechter Camping on a budget 🏕️ Photo Idea at home 📸 #portraitphotography #photoshoot #creativephotography #manuelbechter ♬ original sound – manuel_bechter

Bechter’s and Romez’s behind-the-scenes videos from their influencer travel photoshoots have amassed millions of views on TikTok and left social media users stunned by the convincing results.

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

“We were sitting at home in front of a large television screen and suddenly got the inspiration to play with different photos as backdrops for our next videos.

“The message we are trying to convey is to show our followers with the behind-the-scenes footage that you should not always believe what you see on the Internet.

“Perhaps other influencers may not fake their images in the way that we did it, yet behind most influencer photos are usually a lot of Photoshop tricks to get the most attention and likes possible.”

@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 capture the images, say they always began by selecting the photo that they would display as a backdrop on the television screen.

Then the photographers would match the outfit, props, and lighting to fit the theme of the photo shoot, such as artificial snow for the faked snow-trekking image.

While the photo series went viral, Bechter and Romez say that the images divided some social media users — who could not 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 very interesting — we have never received such contrasting comments to any of our previous photos,” the photographers explain.

“Many found the idea cool but were shocked that this type of photo is so easy to fake and described it as eye-opening for them.

“Then others blamed us for showing such an idea to our audience at all and claimed that because of ideas like these, social media would continue to get more and more fake.

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

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

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

Follow Bechter on Instagram and Romez on Instagram.


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

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