We’ve all seen some truly laughable — and cringeworthy — stock photos in our time. In ag, stock photographers like to include syringes, hazmat suits, DNA strands, test tubes, and beautiful smiles (there are oh-so-many smiles). As you might expect, the reality is a little different — often dirtier, more frustrating, and involving a lot fewer injections.
Just as one example, genetically engineered food is a popular topic to find images for, and the first photo that pops up on a Shutterstock search for “gmos” is this one:
I have no idea how we get any semblance of genetic engineering out of this photo (that sure is a sciencey-looking hand, though, isn’t it?). Not only is the method shown here absurd, the plums shown aren’t even part of the GMO discussion.
Twitter had some fun with this concept using the hashtag #BadStockPhotosOfMyJob, which is exactly what it sounds. But it’s not so much the ridiculous photos that make this an awesome hashtag, it’s the Twitterverse’s responses to these pics.
We’ve gathered up some of the best ones as they relate to farming, food, and plant sciences.
I am a farmer.
Therefor I’m obviously 35+ yrs old, male and only wear checked shirts.
I like to stand in paddocks inspecting my crops with my arms folded.#BadStockPhotosOfMyJob
Not one picture could be found of a young female farmer. I should be shocked… I’m not. pic.twitter.com/cHdaAewhEu
— Sophie Barnes (@SheepishSophie) May 6, 2018
As an evolutionary biologist, you have *no idea* how hard it is to find tweasers small enough to grab bits of DNA (which is the main part of our job, obvs) #BadStockPhotosOfMyJob pic.twitter.com/xtB7fvKI57
— Dr Emma Hodcroft (@firefoxx66) May 4, 2018
To make a GMO this is definitely how you do it. Just grab a piece of fruit and inject it with with some mushed up other fruit to make your very own frankenfruit.#BadStockPhotosOfMyJob #gmo pic.twitter.com/GqPEr1AYuT
— Charlie Evans (@charlie_sci) May 22, 2018
Hypothesis: You cannot pour the blue liquid in to the yellow liquid if you don’t remove the cap from the blue liquid.
Test
Hypothesis supported.#BadStockPhotosOfMyJob pic.twitter.com/Tjyu25eath
— ♨Saucy Stacey♨ (@DrSCubed) May 6, 2018
As a botanist, I am so petrified of plants I cover my entire body in hazmat safety gear. (Except the parts actually touching them, of course).
Sometimes, when I am feeling a bit wild, I bring my microscope to the bedding plant aisle of a garden centres.#BadStockPhotosOfMyJob pic.twitter.com/euU33MeXzI
— James Wong (@Botanygeek) May 6, 2018
Apparently I have been using incorrect plant breeding methods all these years. Have not been injecting apple juice (hope that’s what it is) into soil and drowning plantlets in tubes. #BadStockPhotosOfMyJob pic.twitter.com/kKgtWuLSIn
— Dale Burns (@drburns1212) April 26, 2018
Apparently all chemists do is look intensely at coloured liquids in various pieces of glassware #BadStockPhotosOfMyJob pic.twitter.com/R3xknvaYB1
— Myles Power (@powerm1985) May 9, 2018
Not everyone is cut out for the difficult life of a geneticist. Tilting inaccurate plastic models of DNA back and forth all day is quite a challenge, but someone has to do it. #BadStockPhotosOfMyJob pic.twitter.com/VpeqnC6zr0
— Simon E. Fisher (@ProfSimonFisher) May 6, 2018
As an ecologist I’m never sure if I should be terrified by plants or dressed formally whilst in their company #BadStockPhotosOfMyJob pic.twitter.com/5wp67YGhuf
— Dr Dave Hemprich-Bennett (@hammerheadbat) May 5, 2018
As an ecologist, I can confirm that my days consist of much stethoscoping of trees in an unnecessary lab coat. It’s the only proper way to detect wildlifes. #BadStockPhotosOfMyJob pic.twitter.com/wAEB9YPnUc
— Kirsty Elliott (@Trouty_Trout) May 5, 2018
#BadStockPhotosOfMyJob We do not taste the stuff in our Petri dishes and plants do not grow out of desks. pic.twitter.com/rHDeFycctK
— Dana Simmons 🧠 (@dhsimmons1) May 4, 2018
As a plant pathologist, I’ll never forget my first disease diagnosis. There’s something so magical about hearing those roots. #BadStockPhotosOfMyJob @plantdisease @Nangreg @psuPPEM pic.twitter.com/Wc4FqNOYbA
— Alyssa Collins (@PACropDoc) April 26, 2018
Think she might have been a little late to the party checking this crop, don’t think she’ll be able to talk the farmer out of working it under #BadStockPhotosOfMyJob pic.twitter.com/sgMWfSuSIJ
— Stacie Yaremko (@stacie_yaremko) April 25, 2018
Does your horse have more WHOA than GO? Just have someone run in front of them with a bunch of carrots. Works every time. #BadStockPhotosOfMyJob pic.twitter.com/JCFZ4t4eh9
— ForensEQ (@ForensEQ) January 8, 2019
