# The last Photo

Source: →The 'Last Photograph'

“The 'Last Photograph' of Madeleine, released 24 May 2007. It has been widely accepted, or at least reported, that the 'last photograph' of Madeleine - beside the kiddie's pool in the Ocean Club - was taken by Kate McCann, using her own digital camera. It has also been reported that the picture was taken at 2.29pm on 03 May 2007. Kate's camera clock is said to have been one hour out, so the display reads 1.29pm. However, there are no versions of the picture, so far released, that are able to confirm this. Although Portugal and the UK share the same time, it is reported that the camera clock was one hour out as Kate had not adjusted it after the change to British summer time on 25 March 2007.”

Sky News: Last Photo Of Madeleine Is Released Thursday May 24, 2007:

“The family of missing Madeleine McCann have released the last known photograph of their daughter before her abduction three weeks ago. The picture shows her smiling and dangling her feet into a swimming pool. Madeleine, who has turned four since her abduction, is shown enjoying her holiday less than eight hours before she was snatched from her bed. The picture was taken by Madeleine's mother Kate, 38, on her own camera. Her daughter is shown smiling, wearing a pink smock top, white shorts and a sun hat as she cools her feet in the swimming pool. The picture was taken at 2.29pm on May 3 - Mrs McCann's camera clock is one hour out so the display reads 1.29pm. Less than eight hours later, before 10pm that night, Madeleine disappeared. She had been sleeping in the family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, when she was abducted…”

The last video can be seen here → Youtube

There are some obstacles with the alleged “last photos”. Although any “last photo” was recommended to be used for the search for Maddie's wanted-poster, the parents seemingly had some problems to provide some actually taken. On the commonly known wanted-poster they indeed provided an absolutly out-of-time picture, showing Maddie at the age of about 2. As everyone knows, kids that age change their appearence much in just months. The far from being actual photo thus was clearly hampering the investigations in 2007. We have to question why did they chose such a useless photo?

Also the “last photo” allegedly taken on 03-May-2007 at 14:30 Portugal time, is much questionable (see also e.g. →FromMyBigDesk Blog or →GerryMcCannBlog). Indeed the photo delivered to the press and police was made public by the parents on 24th of May, two days after Gerry short journey to England (see more information at article Leicestershire Police) returning back with Clarence Mitchell. The first disturbing question is, why did he need three weeks to “find” the picture allegedly taken on 3rd May by Kate McCann? But after releasing the “found” last picture of Madeleine, some other disturbing facts come up:

The EXIF-Data of the original file (see at →The 'Last Photograph') shows that the picture was taken “Create Date 2007:05:03 13:29:51” but got altered on “Create Date 2007:05:24 17:41:20+01:00”. The time 13:29:51 was said by McCann's to result from missing to reset the cam from winter to summer time. Such that the time 14:30 would result. Also the EXIF Header shows that the picture (at least) was altered on the day of release 24th of May 2007 using →Adobe Photoshop software. From EXIF data the source of Photo was a “FAMILY HANDOUT” to →AFP Press agency for publication.

The picture indeed shows some typical marks of a fake. The most compelling sign are the reflections to be seen in the sunglasses of Gerry McCann: Indeed they are turned by 90 Degree Angle. Which is physically impossible. Mirrors always don't change left or right nor up and down - they just change front and rear. This is true for any flat or convex mirror. Only a concave mirror would in addition change up and down, but also won't incline the horizont by 90 degree. Fronts of regular sunglasses are always more or less convex. Thus if photographed from very short distance, they may not flip but distort the horizon. If photographed from far away, here approximately 10 metres, the horizon but is always preserved practically undistorted.

Just check it yourself by a simple experiment: take some of your sunglasses and watch the reflections from a distance while turning it around to any degree - the principal orientation of the reflection will never change!

The reflection thus is for sure related to sunglasses originally hanging down at 90 degree e.g. at Gerry's T-shirt collar on this or another photo. We can also identify details of the reflection, which are seemingly the pool and the plants and concrete walls on the other poolside, located at the small pathway in front of the Ocean Club flats, or other way round, in direction of the Tennis Courts at the Ocean Club, depending on the position of photographer Kate. The other fakes in the picture are not that easy to prove, but we have to conclude that “the last photo” is in truth composed from different unrelated photos into one.

Thus, those reflections alone with the false horizon, prove that the photo is a fake. This is very much disturbing. The main question are:

- why didn't he have any original usable photos of Maddie on 3rd May?
- if he really didn't have one, why was he so eager but to fake one?
- why did he cover his eyes on the photo with large faked sunglasses?

See a possible explanation at Some oddities regarding Version 2, Sample 10 (in connection with sample 8).

See here also the “Last Photo” in full resolution for forensic reference

Latest unofficial photo (29 July 2014) of the family see →Facebook