Tessa Coates, a British comedian, encountered a peculiar photographic anomaly while trying on a wedding dress, which gained international media attention. She took a single photo with her iPhone 12, only to discover three different versions of herself in the picture.

This unusual incident took place in front of two mirrors, where each reflection showed her in a distinct pose, despite not using any special camera modes like “Live Mode” or continuous shooting.

Unveiling the Mystery: How a Single Snap Captured Multiple Poses

Perplexed by this occurrence, Coates visited an Apple store for an explanation. A technician named Roger unraveled the mystery, attributing it to the iPhone’s unique photography mechanism.

He explained that when an iPhone captures a photo with a single tap, it quickly takes a series of images to assess the scene. In Coates’ case, her slight movements during this rapid capture process resulted in multiple images merging into one, creating the illusion of three different people. This phenomenon was not a deliberate feature but a rare glitch, described by Roger as a “one-in-a-million” event.

Roger further noted that this oddity is linked to a mechanism known as the “rolling shutter” used in smartphone cameras, including iPhones. Unlike traditional cameras that capture an entire scene simultaneously, a rolling shutter scans the scene sequentially, either horizontally or vertically.

This method can lead to distortions or anomalies if the subject moves during the capture process. In Coates’ scenario, her movements while trying on the dress coincided with the iPhone’s scanning, capturing different poses at various times and combining them into a single image.

This story of Tessa Coates and her iPhone offers a fascinating glimpse into the complexities of modern smartphone photography, illustrating how advanced camera technologies can lead to unexpected and intriguing results.

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