Photographer Disappointed After Lia Thomas’ NCAA Pictures Were Photoshopped

A popular news forum heavily edited Lia Thomas’ photo before using it. The photographer who discovered this was heavily disappointed. They edited the original photo, softening it to a great extent. However, none of this was disclosed to the photographer.

Lia Thomas is at the top of controversy after she dominated the NCAA Swimming Championships. There are many who think that Lia’s participation is unfair to all the other biological women. Moreover, many also blame the NCAA for its rules.

Erica Denhoff was shocked when she found the photo by Today Show. She realized that it was a photo that she took of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas. However, Today Show had edited the picture heavily before publishing it on its channel.

Photographer disappointed in popular News forum

Erica Denhoff is a photographer who captures swimmers at various tournaments. She was also present at the NCAA Championships. Here, she captured several shots of the winner Lia Thomas. Notably, Thomas is the first transgender woman to win an NCAA event.

After the event, Erica was going through the news to see whether her photos have been used. She came across a video which used one of the photos she captured. But something looked clearly off.

READ MORE: What Rank Did Lia Thomas Stand at While Competing in the Men’s Swimming Division?

“When I first noticed the airbrushing on the segment referenced, I thought something was honestly wrong with the video. But then, I watched it again and thought, ‘Wait a minute, this appears to be intentional. Lia’s features are softened,” said Erica.

Erica proceeded to compare the shot used with the original photo that she submitted. The difference was too much to go unnoticed.

An important part of her profession is to submit photos that are authentic and original.

“To me, it definitely seems like something was going on with the airbrushing/noise reduction of all of Lia’s photos in this segment,” she said. She referred to a particular episode from last week. Notably, they softened the photo to make it look less masculine.

NBC uses heavily edited Lia Thomas photo

Meanwhile, A Twitter user has also pointed out NBC’s use of another Lia photo. A comparison of the original photo and the one used reveals clear differences.

Several features of Lia’s face were altered in order to make it more “girl-like.”, according to the user. Additionally, the user marked the convenient editing of Adam’s apple and eyebrows.

WATCH: Lia Thomas Stands Tall Amidst Boos as Rivals Protest On Podium