Look at a photo three ways

First say what you can see. Then check the file and the story around it.

Image, file, context

The photo shows a door, a clock and a sign. These are observations. The file layer may have size and EXIF data. The context layer asks who posted it, when, and with which words. Check all three.

One result has limits

EXIF can change or be removed. No EXIF does not mean ‘fake’. Reverse image search may find nothing. An AI detector can be wrong. A valid C2PA signature alone does not prove that the scene or caption is true.

Study the photo. Content. Technical. Context — Content: What is visible? Technical: What is in the file? Context: Who shared it, and when?CSINT Research · Ahmet Göker

Same terms in both languages

Keep these words

Metadata / EXIF: Data about a file / a metadata format used in photos.
Reverse image search: Using an image to look for similar or older copies.
Provenance: The source and history of an item.
C2PA / Content Credentials: Signed history claims linked to content.

A small example

Let’s do it together

A post says ‘Outside Liman today’. You find a copy of the same photo from last year.

Save the new post and old copy with their sources.
Compare the door, shadow and small details. Is it really the same image?
If the old record is sound, say it does not fit the ‘taken today’ claim. Say if the first photographer is unknown.

From my research notes · Real record

Suez: look at two images first

Look at the same area on two dates. First say what changed. Then read the source to discuss why.

Satellite view of the Gulf of Suez on 11 March 2021 — The earlier view in NASA’s comparison.NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin and Joshua Stevens; USGS Landsat / Suomi NPP VIIRSNASA media use guidelines ↗

Satellite view of waiting ships in the Gulf of Suez on 27 March — The later view. More ship marks are visible at sea.NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin and Joshua Stevens; USGS Landsat / Suomi NPP VIIRSNASA media use guidelines ↗

Read the record

Match the coast shape. Check that you are looking at the same area.
Write both dates. More visible ships is an observation. Each ship’s identity is a separate question.