Fact Check

Photograph of Cliff Hanger Isn't Quite What It Seems

A deceptive photograph seemingly shows a man perilously hanging from the edge of a high cliff. He's actually in no danger at all.

Published Dec. 21, 2015

 (Telegraph)
Image Via Telegraph
Claim:
A deceptive photograph shows a man perilously hanging by his feet from the edge of a high cliff.
What's True

A photograph shows a man hanging by his feet from the edge of a cliff.

What's False

The man is hanging from a cliff high enough to risk his life should he fall.

On 18 December 2015, a photograph purportedly showing a man dangling by his feet from the edge of a high cliff started circulating online. Although tha appeal of the the image is that it appears to show a highly precarious and dangerous stunt, the Telegraph clarified that the man seen in the photograph was hanging only a few feet off the ground:

This incredible photograph shows a daredevil hanging over a 10,000 ft drop with nothing but his abs holding him up. The photograph, taken in Pedra do Telegrafo, Brazil, show daredevil Luis Fernando Candela, hanging from a cliff face with spectacular views of the Pedra Branca National Park in the background. However, all is not what it seems. While he is indeed hanging off a rock by his feet, he's only about a metre off the ground.

The above-displayed cliff in Pedra do Telegrafo, Brazil, is a popular tourist attraction, and like other natural settings is frequently captured in photographs taken using angles that deceptively suggest the human subject pictured is exposed to an element of danger not actually present. Other images document that the photo op scene provided by Pedra do Telegrafo is not nearly so dangerous as it seems to the viewer:

Pedra do Telegrafo

However, a cursory Internet search turns up hundreds of similarly deceptive photographs taken at that location:

cliff photos

Dan Evon is a former writer for Snopes.

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