The photographer is David Green, 49, who finished the Boston marathon, was on his way to rendezvous with friends when the two bombs exploded near him. He took a photo with his iphone and then ran to help. The photo is time-stamped at 2:50:15 p.m.

He posted it to Facebook with an account of his experiences.

On Thursday, Green’s friends noted a figure in white hat in bottom left corner of Green’s picture,thinking it closely resembled FBI’s photos of one of the ‘persons of interest.’

One of the friends, it is reported, posted the photo in a running forum online. It went viral, as they say. Some began wondering about its veracity, others were certain, given the man it came from, it was likely the real deal.

The New York Times reports “In an interview late Thursday, Mr. Green, who runs a sportswear company in Florida, confirmed that the picture was genuine, and that the F.B.I. had contacted him and requested a copy. “I have spoken to several agents,” Mr. Green said, “and they have got the photos, they are picking up material from me, and I don’t think there’s any doubt.””

F.B.I., via Associated Press
“Agents had told him, he said, that his picture was the best they had, because it was taken from a better camera than the others that were posted.

“Mr. Green does not remember noticing the man in the white hat. He had, instead, called the F.B.I. earlier in the week to report another man, who was standing still and yelling instead of running.

“Mr. Green provided a full-sized version of the image, which shows the suspect’s face more clearly.”

There also is a clear picture of the two suspects standing together, photographer unknown as yet…
and this one of the second suspect

I can only say, the cell phones with cameras, ipads with cameras, iphones and android and other phones and portable light weight devices that can upload to facebook, twitter, gmail, mobile me, aol, yahoo and ANY website in Seconds, has been put to many nefarious uses, and now… to an incredibly heroic one.

The phones, ipads, etc at the Boston Marathon is like having thousands of gumshoes [literally] on the ground, literally thousands and thousands of eyes looking,seeing, recording.

Given this reality,and that it may be that the perpetrators of the massacre are on the young side, surely they knew at an iconic event like the Boston Marathon would be sotted with cameras, drenched in them, that likely everyone under 700 years of age would have one on their person and be using it.

I just got an iphone; guess what for? Photography. That little camera is amazing in clarity and closeups… close enough, to my old big heavy SLRs.

It’s a whole new world, in some very good ways it is hoped, esp. for Boston.