Checking Shadows And Weather For Consistency
Launch library · evergreen read
Shadows fall at angles determined by the sun's position in the sky, which changes predictably with the time of day, the season, and the location on the globe. A photo claiming a specific date and place can sometimes be checked against whether its visible shadows are physically plausible for that exact combination of factors.
Weather offers a similar and equally useful check. A claimed date can be compared against publicly available historical weather records for that particular location, and a mismatch, bright sunshine on a day recorded as overcast, for instance, is a useful flag worth noting even though it rarely proves deception outright on its own.
These checks work best when combined with other evidence rather than used entirely alone, since lighting and weather can genuinely be unusual on any given day for perfectly ordinary reasons. Treat a mismatch as a prompt for further checking rather than a final verdict delivered on the spot.