This applies to a lot of different scenarios, like for instance still fitting into your high school jeans, texting & driving, and in some cases, I think it also applies to over-editing. It seems to be an epidemic!
In the past 10 years photography has changed drastically, and for the most part good things have come from those changes but when it comes to editing, I’m starting to ask the question “just because you can…does that mean you should?” As I see more and more work leaning toward the subjects almost looking “computer generated” I feel like we are beginning to cross the line and lose the “truth” of who our subjects are.
I’m not talking about touching up a few blemishes or taming down a few wild hairs or covering up the scratch on your toddler‘s nose….I’m talking smoothing skin down to a point where it’s almost cartoon looking, adding so much sparkle to the eyes that they no longer even look human, losing the “realness” of the person. Where do we stop? Where is the line?
This is a question I was just asking myself as I was trying out a new editing program on one of my daughter’s senior pictures. After processing the picture thru the program…I didn’t even feel like I was looking at my own kid anymore, what was left of her was just a computer generated image…..a flawless beautiful image. But here’s the thing, it wasn’t even “her” anymore. The point of photography is art, but it is also a way of capturing the images of the people who matter to us, to help us remember them as they truly were….and I think we might be losing something precious when we airbrush them to the point of not even looking “real“ anymore.
With that said, I will of course continue to tame those wild hairs & touch up that blemish, but when it comes to the sparkle in your eyes, I want that to be real & true….and I think it’s this “truth” that makes your pictures beautiful!
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