Would you have nerves for something like this? I know I wouldn't. But some people are actually practicing it.
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Very nice work . Greetings from Linda Rockstack, CA.
Billy Beyond
how is that even possible
i was wondering how is that possible? :P is there any superglue used here haha
wouldn't it hurt if the stone fell on you?
It's called the art of photoshop.
It's not photoshop - I have an uncle who did this as a sort of hobby around his house and as a side-money project until a local neighborhood board told him he couldn't make money from it. He could balance an entire wall (several hundred yards long) or only a few stones without the help of any sort of cement, super glue, etc.
who is stupid enough to think this is photoshoped? its just physics, if you have the right shape and weight and can do it, I've seen it before.
obviously 'shopped.. my baby sister could've done better. shopt shopt shopt
funny to see comments from people who've not even tried to balance a few rocks assuming that the only way that could be done is photoshop... get out and try it. It not only is possible, it's fun!
C'mon, now everything is photoshopped? Dudes, get a life, there's plenty of marvelous things out there! I just balanced myself some stones and guess what? Quite easy!
The pictures would be more convincing if the lighting on the stones were more consistent.
I swear if one more person points out shadows or lighting, I'm going to kill the internet. The whole internet. Maybe 3 people who see this can actually even use photoshop, and of those, I doubt very highly they'd waste their time pretending to balance rocks. Nature does it without Adobe. People can too. Idiots.
the reflections are all wrong
While in Detroit we saw a person who was doing this along a road near the waterfront. Different rocks, but same principle. Just because you have to use Photoshop in order to impress people doesn't mean everyone else has to.
I hate people who say it's photo shopped just because it looks too cool. Have a little faith in other people's honesty once in a while.
Fucktards, one and all. If I see one more noob comment that a photo is "shopped" I am going to repeatedly stab them in the face with a blunt rusty spoon.
95% of images that have comments saying they are shopped... are real, you foetal ignorami.
shooped...
just kidding. Good work though.
Photo shop
I'm with Henry...getting a spoon ready...Billy Bob voice "Wish I had a sling blade, um hmmm, but I guess a dull spoon will do" Can't believe everyone thinks stuff is so easy to photoshop...did someone photoshop Stonehedge? Jackass.
let me settle the matter once and for all... this is absolutely not photoshopped. Its very real. I know this because i met the man who is responsible for these objects of art. He frequents two places that i know of to do this. One is San Francisco and the other is near San Rafael, both in California. I am a photographer myself and had the good fortune of being introduced to him by my good friend. So not only did i photograph his work, but i also photographed him. Anyone can email me for the untouched photos if they choose. I'm assuming anyone who has the guts to cry "photoshopped!" also knows what XIF data is and can check mine out... they'll see that they aren't photoshopped at all. As for shadows and lighting... you people need glasses. Oh how ignorance is bliss!
Saying "Photoshopped" is a joke. It's just a silly little joke that people will say about just about any photo, whether it even looks amazing or not. I doubt most people who say it, believe it. I am certain that most who claim it seriously don't know what they're talking about.
What might have been helpful, in this situation, was a series of photos showing the creator building the balanced stack. That would do much to prevent foolish claims of "Photoshop".
Rock stacking actually isn't that hard, once you've worked with it a little. I met a guy in Oregon when I was a lot younger who taught me how to do it with pebbles. It looks impossible because we think of rocks as being generally smooth, but the pores and such in them give them a lot of space to create friction off one another. That's why they stack in seemingly impossible ways. Whoever did these stacks was obviously exceptionally good at it, but anyone can do it. All it takes is patience and a delicate hand. It's very zen.
Obviously it's possible, according to the laws of physics....everything has a center of gravity, the trick is finding it in order to balance one rock on the other.
BUT...some of these pics show rocks on top that have GOT to be HEAVVVY...I understand about the balancing thing...but how does one go about lifting a rock of that size that far up, then holding it long enough to find the balancing point? To me, that is what makes the pictures suspect, although I am NOT saying they're faked, just that this is what raises a question in my mind...
These are not necessarily large rocks at all. Perspective can make them seem huge, but really they could all be small enough to fit in your hand.
FAKE.
No, this is not fake. Im from the Philippines and my husband practices this art to kill boredom.
Most of those shots were taken in the SF Bay Area. There are a few well known and documented artists here that share their mastery with us!
P-Shop'd?! Are you kidding me? Are you so quick and loud to discredit what isn't understood that you'd deprive yourself from a wonderful thing? Wake up.
so obviously photoshopped
eating my words ;) some of these could be real but some are obviously photoshopped
Of course it is photoshop. The bigger rocks are thousands of pounds! No offense, but use some common sense. How would they do the delicate balancing with a crane?!? Go pickup a 50-100 lb basketball sized rock and try it. Jeesh! In addition how dangerous would it be to children who happened by. If you thought it was real you should turn your internet browsing license in and turn off your computer.
I saw this live in germany 6 years ago,very impressive.
I'll say it. These are faked. I mean they are pretty to look at, but they are not even faked well. The lighting on some is contradictory, the physics don't work.The only way to "balance" rocks like that in real life would be with a very good epoxy.
Yikes!
I swear, if I hear someone else even mention photoshop again I'm going to I'm going to find whoever s idea photoshop originally was, and shove a narwhal down their throat, head first. P.S. Spiral115, Michael ever f**kin try it? P.S(2) even if some photo shopped it's possible and at least some are real you can find and visit this them.P.S(3)my cousin is a crane operator, you'd be pretty d@mn surprised how exact they can be
kinda cool how u can tell who are the pessimist and who are the realists/optimists. The photo shop thing could also be a joke. nope, not possible
shopped
not photoshopped... i've seen a guy do this stuff before... it's really cool to see, actually
Most of these are photo shopped funny how massively hypo critic some people can be.
This is totally photoshopped. Closer inspection of the texture of the rocks indicate that they have indeed been scaled, moved and rotated. Some pictures also have obviously edited shadows and the silhouette picture, although beautiful, is just plain unrealistic. The shadows on the rocks are perfectly black even though they should have some lighter areas like the rest of the terrain.
But the most obvious giveaway is the fact that these structures are physically very unstable if not entirely impossible. The texture of the rocks and the ocean give a general idea of the scale of the rocks. There are rocks that are weighting hundreds if not thousands of pounds. These rocks might just as well be mopeds, motorcycles and cars piled on top of eachother. This is not a job for any human being. Like stated in some of the other comments, holding a 500-pound rock in the air trying to balance it on top of the structure and finding the center of gravity is impossible withouth any mechanical aid such as cranes. I'm guessing it could be possible if you were to drill holes on each rock and junction the boulders using metal rods. But that is out of question in this occasion since the photographs have obvious signs of being fiddled with.
Someone mentioned friction and that is no doubt the way to achieve quite amazing structures. In these occasions though, the contact surfaces are very small since most rocks seem to have been balanced on their sharpest corners. Moreover, friction only applies to sideways motion has little power to stop a 200-pound wobbly cliff from rotating and plummeting down. I doubt such small surface areas would even do against the forces caused by strong winds that must be present in the environment in question. Not to mention the ground trembling that is caused by nearby falling rock piles of all the idiots who actually believe everything they see on the internet.
I'm not saying it's not possible to stack up rocks. I've done it myself and I'm sure some people can do quite impressive job and even use a bit larger stones. I'm saying, most of these particular photos and claims are impossible. I'm feeling so stupid having to explain all of this to some gullible people that are lacking common sense.
"Eivind said...obviously 'shopped.. my baby sister could've done better. shopt shopt shopt"
LOL... Balance points my friend. Go back to school!!
"obviously shopped" lol!!
PHOTOSHOP!!!
PHOTOSHOP!!!
Take pictures from more than one angle if they aren't photoshopped.
One or two of them are physically possible, in closed environments with no wind. The one with the several small grey stones is possible.
The rest would not stand, in my opinion, outside.
I am clearly in the "they are photoshopped" camp.
I have no doubt that people arrange similar formations - but not quite so obviously impossible.
Nice photoshop work though.
Shooped ta da Whoop.
I've seen people do this in real life. It's not shopped, for Christ's sake.
Most look real, but some look shopped also. It isn't just the lighting and shadows, but there are things about a couple of them that don't look right based on the angle of the photo
I do not disagree that rock stacking is possible. BUT THESE PHOTOS ARE OBVIOUSLY SHOPPED. Michael, the supposed photographer, makes the comment that not many people even know how to use photoshop. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Anyone under the age of thirty with a computer has used photoshop doubledouche. My 5-year old nephew uses it. He likes to put Bob the Builder and Thomas in photos with him. Michael also goes on to say that the photos have been "touched." WTF? EVERYTHING about these photos screams SHOPPED!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuMAC6Dy66c&NR=1
sorry, that comment was for benfromsac, not Michael. Was so steamed by the comment, must have gone blind for the moment.
And Christopher, Everyone can use photoshop in about an hour of playing with it. Comes with tutorials dork.
The Bible was photoshopped.
Can't get much trollier than that!
Check out the work of artist ANDY GOLDSWORTHY, and/or watch the documentary "Rivers and Tides."
These photographs are not photoshopped.
Lol just for shits and giggles it looks photoshoped ;)
Lol just for shits and giggles. Its photoshoped GOSH! ;)
It really is easier than it looks, I can balance stones and photoshop stones. But, I can see no evidence that it is photoshopped. This is really impressive, with the rocks balancing on corners.
Why not google "rock stacking" and check out some of the photos and videos before you cry "fake."
amazing work! and everyone who's annoyed with the people screaming 'shop'd'...it annoyed me too at first because I really hate it when people don't give credit where credit is due, but then I realized, just like a bully, those screaming 'photoshopped' are just trying to make themselves feel better by hurting others :( The rest of us are impressed by your talent even if we DO envy your ability :) Keep up the great work!
While these images do look ridiculously fake, the art of stone balancing does exist- I happened upon it while in Sausalito, CA some time ago.
http://ca.youtube.com/results?search_query=rock+balancing&search=Search
Pretty sure these are photoshopped.
Look at the shadows!
STONERS have been here!
I've done this, I do this.
These are not photoshopped. I am convinced the interwebs have the dumb.
Also pretty sure I'm just trying to irritate the people who take the internet WAY too seriously, I mean c'mon, look at the shadows!
Also the moon landing was faked, once again it was all about the shadows baby.
If one spent as much time trying to balance rocks as another did at becoming proficient at photoshop the result would be the same.
for those saying the shoadows are off, you obviously do not have much experience looking at rocks, which have a tendency towards very odd shapes and shadow/light patterns and play tricks on the eyes.
I know this because i live in a slickrock desert and do loads of hiking and am addicted to finding odd erosion patterns and illusions in rock faces that are caused by light and shadow.
even if one of these photos is p-shopped - the others are still amazing, but i am with those that believe it is all real.
I also take it that none of you disbelievers has ever heard of the nature artist Andy Goldsworthy.
this thread is a perfect example of how many narcissistic, sitting by the computer, thinking they are smarter than others idiots there are.
maybe you should get out and actually live rather than being cynical critics.
you might learn something about REAL LIFE and art.
cynicism takes no balls and no risks, living, being visionary and experimenting does.
I could do the same thing in 5 minutes on my computer and not have to lift a pebble
i guess this video is shopped as well? idiots.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JkEpLdEJY8
Hey morons... Especially the self proclaimed "Photoshop Masters" and "you can learn Photoshop in an hour with tutorials" - First of all... I'm a web/graphic designer & amerature photographer (visit my flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/blakelyons) - I've been using Photoshop for almost 11 years now and I can say you're an idiot if you think you can become a master of Photoshop using tutorials & an hours worth of time.
I'd like to challenge anyone who begs to differ.... The real reason for the post is because while most people have taken it upon themselves to provide comments on a subject that they did little or no research on and who have proclaimed they are "experts" because they "know somebody, who knows somebody, who's uncle's cousin does rock-balancing". - It took me all of about 2 minutes to discover actual video of the rocks in question above.... Enjoy
Video 1
Searched Bill Dan Balancing Rocks
P.S. - I really hate people who say, "oh, I could have done that in 5 minutes in Photoshop" - I challenge you to try. I'm willing to bet anything you come up with is nothing short of completely ridiculous.
Bill lyons: first of all, you got trolled hard. second, i looked at some of your pages, damn, you suck at photoshop.
:(
100% NOT shopped. This guy hangs out in San Francisco at the Palace of Fine Arts all the time doing his thing. It's really cool to see because it does not even look possible the rocks and stuff he balances. I've seen it...
@ the people claiming this isn't photoshopped:-
Do you think we are all idiots? You're not funny. They are so obviously photoshopped, and I should know - I've seen a lot of photoshopped images. You can tell from the pixels.
This is not shopped... I see this type of thing everyday on my way to work in Fremont [a little neighborhood in Seattle, WA]
Rocks and Soul
Long live Benny.
Just try and work out the center of gravity on some of these rocks in the pictures...
There are a few that would require at least 50 to 100 feet of material in the non-viewable areas to become remotely balanceable.
The math on these don't add up.
In addition, there are quite a few "this behind that" contact usages that are very common tricks to aid in photographic forgery.
It's Photoshop----Stop waisting our time.
The Rainbow Family practice this art form. Go look at welcomehome.org. You'll surely find pics there of rock stacking. They use these as a sort of "secret sign system". When they're traveling to a new campsite, they put these up to let the others know where to turn to find them. They're not photoshopped.
Furthermore, what does something's size have to do with whether or not you could balance it on another object; be it smaller or larger. I know I have balanced on things smaller than myself. That's what freakin' balancing is all about. It's about having the patience to find the center of gravity.
why the hell would anyone spend time photoshopping this? there are tons of people that do this stuff for fun. anyone saying 'shopped' is a fucking moron
I doubt it's photoshopped, people do it at the waterfront where I live all the time. I've seen ones very similar to the ones in the pictures, its just unfortunate that stupid teenagers come and kick them over all the time.
K, HOLY FUCKING SHIT!!! When you see someone claiming "Shopped!" They are what are known on the internet as "trolls". They say it to provoke the exact response you are giving them ,and take pleasure in it. As soon as you respond, they win. Ignore them, they'll go away. If you are going to argue with a troll, learn about the *real* internet! Also, these are not shopped, and are incredibly awesome.
Undoubted that lots of photos on the net have been 'shopped' but that doesn't mean these are.
http://ca.youtube.com/results?search_query=Bill+Dan+Balancing+Rocks&search_type=
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=fD13m64CvpM
To the douche Janne who said you can tell from the texture that these are enlarged in post, how about thinking about the scaling and perspective of the shot? A small stone close to the camera with a small aperture will get all the focal points required.
Also, try looking into something before making a comment. There are several artists around the world who have done work like this and they perform it in public, so find your nearest one and go amaze yourself that there is a world beyond your ignorance.
HardWater101 I'd prefer to just get rid of the small minded 'shop' shouters out there. The world would be a much more pleasant place if people accepted that just because something doesn't seem possible for them, doesn't mean it isn't.
Superglue...you can tell
Google Rock-on Rock-on and find the art of stone balancing by Bill Dan. We balance stones here in San Diego from the desert to the ocean just for fun. Once you learn how to do it, it's easy. These are really cool. Nice work.
Re-bar. It looks incredible though doesn't it? I have a friend who does this with re-bar and a lot of drilling. Great conversation pieces and beautiful yard art.
~BLaIZE~
IT IS NOT PHOTOSHOPED
Retards.
Don't believe me watch this youtube videos.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuMAC6Dy66c
everyone who says these things are photoshopped without stopping to think about it is full of shit. Think you know more about shadows then real life? Good luck with that.
It's a shopped. I can tell from some of the pixels and also from having seen a few shops in my time.
It's not that hard. All you have to do is line up the centroids in such a manner as to negate any moments of inertia that may arise from wind forces or make them small enough that it won't matter. Simple physics and an understanding of the principle of "stability" is all you need. Impressive nonetheless though.
This is the single most retarded comments thread on the entire internet
Be ye defender of rock balancing or proponent of screaming "SHOOPED!", you're still pissing into an ocean of piss
It just takes patience. Try it.
A few of them have realistc shadows and a few look like they were manipulated ;) but either way they make for interesting images...
People are such nerds. I once saw a guy doing this stuff, it's not Photoshopped. Photoshopping stuff like that really isn't that easy... People just have no faith in others' honesty, so they say everything is Photoshopped because they can't do it. Also, for the people who say this is physically impossible, Photoshop cannot measure weight. The structures may look unbalanced, but rocks' densities are not consistent... These photos are very real.
what am i doing here? a link from a link. looking for crafts and activities for my kids and i find comments my nine year old would be embarrassed to think grown ups had left. guess ill move on and not come back. i know their are many inspirational interesting sites out there that actual adults visit.
http://xkcd.com/331/
While I have seen this done in person, have done it (to a much lesser degree, I admit) myself and have seen photographs of others work (such as that of Bill Dan, featured in image #2) some - not all - of these images have indeed been Photoshopped. Image #5 clearly - the focus varies greatly from stone to stone and looking at the image in *gasp* Photoshop you can see great differences in the pixel distribution, indicating differing sources and image qualities. Images #8 and #9 also show variations in the edges that indicate manipulation. It looks to me in image #9 for example of the stones in the center of the image the somewhat banana-shaped stone at the bottom is indeed balanced, but the one on top of it is a manipulated addition.
Cool stuff, just would be better if some of the images weren't suspect.
I really don't know why you're all so pessimistic about this. I've seen a picture still in the camera of one of these, and I also remember a few years ago seeing a guy on the discovery channel who could stack seven+ bowling balls single-tower style. Considering he "didn't have friction on his side" while doing that trick, I'm not all that surprized by this. It would take an amount of pacience most of us Do Not Have, but that doesn't mean that there isn't someone else out there willing to pour a shitload of time into it.
illustrator lol... out in the british virgin islands you see rocks balanced everywhere it takes some skill and patience not quick masks and the brush tool get out of your cave and go see the world.
Right on - and how about check out My blog [ http://billdan.blogspot.com ] where You can see People from all over the World - past and present are having fun with the ART [ hundreds and hundreeds of entries ] -
I have 30 videos about how I Balance those Rocks on [ youtube.com/bebalance ]
OK, I'm sure this is somewhat possible, but these images are definitely not real. Some of them are so obvious that the first thing I noticed was the shadows, highlights, and the differences in image quality between the rocks. It doesn't take a "Rock"et scientist to know at first hand these are NOT REAL.
Note that I noticed this all before I read any of the comments so I was curious to see what people had to say. It is a pretty good job, but I think anything edited will always show obvious signs of editing when you zoom in a bit and analyze the image.
OK, I'm sure this is somewhat possible, but these images are definitely not real. Some of them are so obvious that the first thing I noticed was the shadows, highlights, and the differences in image quality between the rocks. It doesn't take a "Rock"et scientist to know at first hand these are NOT REAL.
Note that I noticed this all before I read any of the comments so I was curious to see what people had to say. It is a pretty good job, but I think anything edited will always show obvious signs of editing when you zoom in a bit and analyze the image.
again . . .check out MY videos on youtube.com/bebalance - before passing judment . . .
Some of them are true, some are not. Just to look at the ones that are fake you can see that it is pysically imposible. Just look at their central point of weight, some of them doesn't have weight compensation from the other rock.
here We go again . . . . that's why I spend a few times out doors to show how the Art is done - come and see It in San Francisco or Sausalito . . .
check out My latest Balancing Rocks and something else [ images - videos ] on this link http://flickr.com/photos/rocker
Saw Bill Dan's work today in Sausalito. I assure there is no glue...it is the real deal. The ones that look physically impossible are astounding and easy to doubt but he balances them without any tricks. He is a master beyond compare at his art.
Amazing stuff, I had to watch the youtube videos to believe it
I can understand how in today's world of scams, lies, and questionable motives, people would believe this art form to be Photo Shopped. The truth is that the rocks are not as large as people think they are. This can be explained by any fisherman that has ever been photographed.
I first saw this art form being practiced at Seaport Village, San Diego by an elderly Indian gentleman. I sat there for an hour watching him, and respectfully questioning his every move. I was so impressed that instead of dismissing it as a sideshow trick, I challenged myself to learn everything that I could about the Zen like Art of Rock Balancing. It has been very challenging but I'm starting to do this art form at a more impressive level. It's fun because it's challenging and unique. It takes a very steady hand , strength, coupled with a very sensitive touch.
Some of you think that staking rocks is foolish, however as I see it, it's not about the rocks; it’s about the challenge of doing something that takes a certain degree of complexity and dicipline. Whether you are a martial arts student, an established artist, or a rock stacker, you will never know the pleasure of accomplishment until you pay the price of learning the art form and accomplish something that will touch others.
In closing, my favorite comment was made by "Jane". Jane the joke is on you. You clearly do not know anything about shadows, photography, or photo shop. Yet you tried to BS people with you lack of knowledge. Jane when a read you naiveté comments I felt embraced for you. Trust me, this is very real, and what makes it great is that if you have the discipline, you too can accomplish this art form and enjoy the reaction on people’s faces.
this is real! i met the guy in person who does this when i was visiting San Francisco. its real. its amazing. i bought a photograph from him with a signature on it