Well.... here are my personal / professional feelings about this article that has just recently gone viral. First and foremost, over my 5+ years of photographing teens (I think I just saw some of you roll your eyes - I get it - Hah!), Ive run the gambit of editing strength. I used to make my very early clients look extremely smooth with barely a pore in sight - some of them loved this and several booked me because of this. It came from a good place - I thought I was doing a good deed. Then, it became more about pulling that back and creating a more authentic image of that person and the skin theyre in. And now, I am wholeheartedly an advocate for allowing my seniors to be who they truly are and want them to have pores, definition in their face, etc. I am happiest (as well as my clients) at my current editing methods as a more natural look is extremely desired among my clients which makes me so happy that they want to be comfortable in the skin theyre in as well. Its definitely a glaring sign, when a teen wants any evidence of what they really look like completely erased and even changed. *My main rule now is to remove anything that is TEMPORARY: blemishes, scratches, texture issues, tonal issues, etc. These are all skin issues that wont be there in a month or even a year later, and theres no need to keep them there as blatant reminders of my clients most stressful years yet. I dont think I could find one senior who has said, Yes, please keep that giant red blemish right between my eyes... her name is Louise and shes my friend and Id like to remember her forever. Nope... not gonna happen. I usually ask my seniors if they have any scars, marks, or tattoos that theyd like me to remove in post or keep - theyre choice. Sometimes they want me to remove a birthmark or scar and sometimes (my favorite) they point to a scar and ask me to leave it there because its a great part of who they are and from an event that shaped their life. I LOVE THAT! :) The removal of these more permanent marks is completely up to my clients on a case by case basis. However, to change the shape of someone face, liquify their cheeks, nose, etc just makes me sad. And believe me... Ive been there and done that for models and whatnot in the early years (again - it came from a good place, but I was just misguided on the post methods to get the look desired), but teen seniors who arent models and are wanting photographs of themselves that reflect who they are at this very time is not the time for these post processing methods. The image showcased below makes the subject look about 25 pounds thinner which can be a bit shocking. These are actual humans behind these faces that are photographed - they have feelings that get hurt and doubts that can arise BECAUSE of these methods used. Maybe she loved the way she looked, but now that the after photo has surfaced, shes doubting that self-confidence that she once had. Its a slippery slope. Notice that she said, “I have a round face that I have grown to love and now I get my photo back with a different face. The new photo no longer even looks like me but rather a prettier twin sister.” A PRETTIER twin sister - prettier. The comparison is already there no matter how hard she is trying to fight it. I would NEVER want my seniors to feel that way... I would be heartbroken. I just want them to feel that their photos are of THEM on their best day - their true self.
Posted on: Sat, 10 Jan 2015 19:06:13 +0000
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