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Would you alter your photos if you were unhappy with how you look in them?
I am really struggling to lose weight after having our baby girl and this is starting to become an issue for me. For example yesterday we took some cute pictures of me/ us and the baby with some of the beautiful blossoming trees. I find that I like the pictures a lot less because I am focussing on my arm fat and chin.
I guess I'm just feeling a bit insecure about my post baby body and I'm taking less photos with me in them which isn't good.
So should I just suck it up and take the photos fat arms or no? Or is editing pictures acceptable?
There's one in particular from yesterday that I really like of me and the baby that I would like to retouch.
How does one do this? Do you need photoshop? Is there somewhere you can email the file to have someone do it for a fee? I feel like there should be an app for this!
Almost every glamour shot that you see in magazines is touched up, so why shouldn't yours be as well? Most amateur photographers have no clue how to pick lighting, camera angles and poses that are flattering to imperfect (real) people. So touching them up can help take the focus off the imperfections and onto the more important elements in the shot. An even better idea is to hire a competent professional photographer to take better pictures. But even then touchups are pretty much the norm these days in professional photography.
There are all manners of software tools and products for retouching photos. Photoshop contains the mechanisms for retouching, but it's an artform in itself and takes tons of practice and repetition to get good at it. Poorly performed touchups will transform an unflattering photo to making you look like an alien. There are specialized programs which make quick work of editing faces (See Nomadicus' recent post). However I've never seen a program that automates editing bodies. Photoshop liquify tool is really good for that, but takes a bit of skill to do effectively.
Google photo-retouching and you will find countless services where you can send your photo to get touched up. I have no recommendations as I do all my own.
I'm 50/50 on it. I have no problem cloning out a zit or bruise or even an ugly tattoo on someone if I'm post-editing it for them, (or a photo of myself), but I don't think I would completely alter the body to the point where I looked 50lbs lighter.
In other words, I personally see no harm in some "Virtual Botox", or virtual heavier makeup... but not major plastic surgery. ;-)
I'm 50/50 on it. I have no problem cloning out a zit or bruise or even an ugly tattoo on someone if I'm post-editing it for them, (or a photo of myself), but I don't think I would completely alter the body to the point where I looked 50lbs lighter.
In other words, I personally see no harm in some "Virtual Botox", or virtual heavier makeup... but not major plastic surgery. ;-)
As a portrait photographer I'm asked that now and then. I recommend against it but am happy to do it for paying customers. I did a big family reunion picture last year with around 40 people in it. I also broke out each family (6 sisters with their families plus mom/dad) into smaller groups, so it was a rushed deal (photos before dinner), and I didn't do the best job in posing some of them.
In the big group, each family picked a color to wear so they could easily be identified as members of that family. Not knowing any better, the largest sister picked white for her family. In a sea of colors and a background of dark green pines, white stands out! To make matters worse, she was wearing a short-sleeved blouse. And as if that wasn't enough, with most in the group partially hidden by others, she sat on the arm of a bench next to her tiny, skinny little sister. I should have seen it and altered her pose, but in the rush to get them photographed so they could get back to partying, I didn't.
But I sure saw it when looking over the digital proofs. She did too! She hated it. So I got out my liposuction tool (Photoshop) and went to work, darkening the white blouse and trimming the size from a 20 to a 14. She was delighted, mom was happy that her daughter was happy, and I was happy to sell $2500 worth of prints. I didn't do enough Photoshopping that anyone else would notice, but it was enough to make her look better.
Again, I don't recommend it. But I'll happily do it for any client who asks. This isn't news photography; it's photography for hire. And if I can do it for others, you can do it for yourself. Just don't make it obvious. Subtlety is the rule. You don't want anyone to notice, so don't carve away so many pounds that people ask if you've been on a diet. You don't want to have to explain it!
Years ago an old friend of my late wife asked me if I could make her look thinner for her online picture. So I did. She said it looked much better. "Could you do any more?" So I did. "Any more?" LOL I did it once more and told her if that wasn't enough she could just as well pick a model of her choosing and put her name under it! Go easy!
I only use Adobe Photoshop, but it's difficult to learn and sells for $600 or so. I usually recommend Adobe Elements. It offers much of what Photoshop does but is a little easier to learn and to pay for at under $100. I'm sure there are others that would work too, some cheaper yet.
You will not learn to do it as well as I or most other pros can do it. It's an art. I use at least a half dozen different Photoshop tools in the process, and you've got to be a bit of an artist to know what you want. That's another reason to go easy with the slimming effects -- bigger changes will be easier to spot, especially if not done expertly.
Good luck to you, should you choose to accept this mission.
Thank you for the posts. I would not do a lot. Maybe a 5 - 10lb trim.
I am contemplating leaving the pic as is. It's really not dreadful and I know there's some vanity going on, but it would be nice to LOVE some of these photos.
WyoNewk - $2500 worth of prints is amazing! Sure worth a bit of photoshopping! You must have done a beautiful job on the session.
Almost every glamour shot that you see in magazines is touched up, so why shouldn't yours be as well?
Because it's (presumably) a candid shot of her and her new baby. What a joyful REAL moment to capture! Focus on the JOY and not on a few extra pounds that CAME from that joy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WyoNewk
I got out my liposuction tool (Photoshop) and went to work, darkening the white blouse and trimming the size from a 20 to a 14. She was delighted, mom was happy that her daughter was happy, and I was happy to sell $2500 worth of prints. I didn't do enough Photoshopping that anyone else would notice, but it was enough to make her look better.
Again, I don't recommend it. But I'll happily do it for any client who asks. This isn't news photography; it's photography for hire. And if I can do it for others, you can do it for yourself. Just don't make it obvious. Subtlety is the rule. You don't want anyone to notice, so don't carve away so many pounds that people ask if you've been on a diet. You don't want to have to explain it!
Going from a 20 to a 14 isn't noticeable?!! I would bet that anyone who was at the wedding and later saw the photo would notice.
Honestly, I think this may be a generational thing. I grew up before photo retouching was the norm. My students (college age) tell me that they ROUTINELY touch up virtually every photo they take, and that basically none of their photos are "real," including the hundreds they post to Facebook. I find that baffling.
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