Lately I’m addicted to a fashion blog call (
Fashion Gone Rogue), it’s extremely attractive with its contents for all the latest editorial, and fashion advertising campaigns. Needless to say, I am entirely amazed from a lot of fashion photography and found it extremely convenience to find them all in one place, and it really helps a lot to exclude magazines purchases from my monthly bill.
For all I care, is to study the photographs, like their lighting, compositions, and angles, while at the same time, to appreciate the models/actresses portrait an excellent feelings to the editorial stories. Only until recently, then I started to also look at the comments people made regards the quality of the photographs, or what they think about the shoots.
I’m somewhat surprised to see a lot of people slacking off the images being photoshopped (or being heavily touched up as some would say), it occurs especially when the editorials are involving actress. The comments are harsh, mainly picking up on little things like their skin conditions, or their somehow mysterious sudden younger appearance. Seeing so many people being very judgemental to someone just because they think they know the actresses surprised me.
Do these people really think retouching to the images only apply on actor or actresses? Be realistic, no one is perfect!! Even Gisel and Kate Moss have been heavily photoshopped in their fashion images. Even the fashion images of my all-time favourite model - Jessica Stam are being photoshopped, (apparently she has lines on her face too).
Fashion editorials have never been about portraying the reality, it has never been real, it’s about the fancy dreams, the ideal images we all want to see ourselves in.
I suspect many people might not even realised before digital photography and the photo editing software Photoshop were introduced, retouching images have long been part of the process in majority of commercial photography and portrait photography. If you do a bit research in photography history, you’ll see portrait photographers as early as in 1940s, have been using all kind of processing techniques to develop the films in the hope of creating the rather flattering images of people, and even hand painting on the films. Usual processing such as putting more colours for the ladies on their cheeks, darken eyebrows, altogether with a higher contrast on exposure, so you don’t see the lines on the face.
So now, lets settle down the retouching issues and tell me the truth, who wants to see all that flaws on your face when you look into the mirror, or seeing the photos of yourself showing the red drunken face, smudged make-up, or scars, or sun burn? And you are supposed to see all those flaws in the advertising and campaign images? when they are supposed to booze up the sell? You don’t, do you?
Now wake up, and accept the reality that no one is perfect.
Oh by the way, editorials are called editorials for a reason.
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