With a high school senior consultation this afternoon and two upcoming clients concerned about their little boy’s black eye/smashed lip/scratched cheek…it brings me to my new FAQ…

“Do you do retouching?”

OF COURSE I DO!  I always joke that I’ve done enough self portraits to know just the right things to tweak.  So yes, I know Photoshop quite well.  I use it, but I most certainly do not abuse it.

There are two points to touch on here…and I’ll begin with the black eye issue.  My general rule of thumb is this: as long as there is no disfigurement (puffy eye, swollen lip, etc.) we are fine…I can easily retouch scratches, bruises, etc.  But if there is swelling anywhere on the face, then it may be better to reschedule.

The second point is beauty retouching – – how far is *too* far.  This has a lot to do with a photographer’s style, but it is also a basic philosophical issue for me.  We’ve all seen the overly-Photoshopped images in the media (seriously, it is anatomically impossible to have a waist as small as they show on some of these fashion merchandising sites!) and the industry has taken a lot of heat for it.  So while I know that Photoshop has it’s place, I tend to be lighthanded in my retouching.  Skin is skin…it has texture…I want to see that texture.  Our bodies are beautiful as they are and it is MY JOB to make sure you look your best and to make sure you are not in unflattering poses/positions…knowing the direction/quality of the light can make an incredible difference in the way our bodies look.  So while I will certainly remove pimples, soften your skin and darken a shadow here or there…I most definitely will not make you look like somebody that you are not.  And believe me, I have three very impressionable daughters often watching over me as I work, so I’d hate to send them the wrong message while using the liquify tool to thin a waist or enhance cleavage.  It’s not me…it just aint’ gonna happen…