zoom truth

This is Sendai Daikannon, towering over the city of Sendai, Japan.   Simply remarkable.    Only 30 feet or so taller than the Statue of Liberty, but you gotta remember half of Lady Liberty's height is that pedestal, and then a good stretch of it is her upraised hand.    This one's head to toe, providing an immense mass.    It's probably impossible not to gasp before your thousandth day of living there.

A friend saw this and said, "I call BS.  This is photoshopped."

Nope.    Not photoshopped, but he is partially right to think there's some photo trick or other going on here.    Take a look at this pic from further away.

Judging it this way, the arresting picture up top is undoubtedly a zoom lens photo taken from far away.    The statue indeed looms over the city, but that one with the street and phone wires is zoomed to bring the statue closer in perception. 

Of course, doing so doesn't "lie" nearly so much as it tells the truth.    Take a look at this one below:  the moon really *is* way way way bigger than St. Petersburg.    I mean ya know, in real life, the Earth's moon versus St. Petersburg.    The telephoto lens shot simply puts them more in true perspective with each other.

So the statue Sendai Daikannon really *is* that much bigger than the cars and houses.    But if you were standing where the photo looks like you're standing, the faraway statue would *not* look that big to your eye.    (Neither does the giant, faraway moon.)    Except, the photographer isn't standing there.    The photographer is on the next hill a good distance away, using a zoom lens, thus bringing the statue back into its "proper" perspective, with a perspective that would be impossible in person.