A web portal news report on Sept 6 has it that opposition Senator S Ramakrishnan had in the previous week alleged that The Star 's Aug 21 front page photograph from Bernama had been digitally manipulated to support the claim that ‘tens of thousands of people' had been present at Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's Hari Raya open house.

However, Yong Soo Heong, the editor-in-chief of Bernama , which is the government-run national news agency, denied the allegation .

This subject has generated a fair bit of interest among netizens, and I have embarked on this little exercise for the benefit of those readers of Malaysiakini who may not have the appropriate software to examine digital images.

If you cannot locate the picture on The Star 's front page, you may be able to find a reasonably big one here .

As those who are familiar with photography will tell us, there will be some distortion when we take a picture of a crowd from a point higher than where the crowd is

Of course, we would normally use a wide-angle lens if we want to include as much as possible of the crowd in the frame. The bigger the crowd, the wider the wide-angle lens would be needed and the worse the distortion would be.

However, the distortion would still show proper scales. For example, those in front would appear bigger than those behind them.

I have had a quick look at the picture, and noticed a few interesting features about it.

If we look at the top left half of the picture, we will see a sort of canopy made of fabric to provide shelter.

Now, take a look at the entire picture. We will notice two things. One, the whole crowd would be occupying a space of probably two or three soccer pitches. That means the canopy is very, very large. Two, those in front are all scrambling to take a picture, while those behind do not seem interested in this.

Now let us take a closer look at the picture.

Refer to 'A'. One or two persons have pointed out the big size of this Chinese-looking man. However, it is possible that he has the stature of a big, professional basketball player, such as Yao Ming. So, we can ignore that.

Refer to 'B'. If we look at the figures immediately to the left and right of the Chinese-looking man in glasses (whose only head is visible), the size of his head makes things look very odd indeed.

And look at the head (with what appears to be a songkok) directly above square B. The size of the head indicates that its owner is much bigger than those in front, to his left .

Refer to 'C'. If we compare the size of the man in long sleeves to those of the people immediately to his right as well as directly in front of him, we will find another oddity: even if he is standing on a raised platform - his body is too small.

Another point to note is that he would be very much smaller than the Chinese-looking man in glasses, in square B, behind him.

Next, draw an imaginary line to connect the vertical midpoints of square B and of the round-cornered rectangle C.

Now take at look at the figures in the background above that line, and we will find another oddity as well. Those figures are so much higher as well as bigger than those directly in front of them.

Is it possible for the ground to be so undulating as the images of those figures as well as of those in the round-cornered rectangle C suggest?

Refer to 'D'. Look at the Chinese-looking man in a light-coloured shirt and at the man on his left, who is taking a picture. If he is even much bigger than a professional basketball player, the other man is a veritable Goliath.

Refer to 'E'. If we look at the head of the Indian (or is he a Bangladeshi or a Pakistani?) at the top of the round-cornered rectangle and at that of the Indian (or Bangladeshi or Pakistani) lower down, we will find another interesting thing. The former is much bigger and taller than the latter, who is in front of him.

Refer to 'F'. In the half of an ellipse, look at the man who is looking away to his left, and compare his body to the Indian (or Bangladeshi or Pakistani) in the bottom of the round-cornered rectangle E. That Indian would be no more than a metre behind him and thus making him (the one in the half of an ellipse) another Goliath.

If we spend more time studying the picture, we may find more interesting features, but I think the above are enough.

Has the picture been digitally manipulated? Well, since Bernama's editor-in-chief has said it was not, we shall believe him, and simply conclude that the photographer has used a special lens capable of spot-distortion.

I am not saying that such a lens exists on the market now, but merely speculating.