My Personal Philosophy on Re-Touching Photos

Ok, people, let’s talk about Photoshop.

Re-touching, air brushing, a digital facial … whatever you call it, the power of Photoshop in the right hands can be etherial. But if your re-toucher over-uses Photoshop it can make your photos look very un-natural.

Fake, dated, blurry, altered, cartoonish … these are NOT words you want people to think when they look at your portrait.

When it comes to portraits and re-touching, I always say that I want to make it look like I caught you on your best day. I DON’T want to make you look like a different person.

Take a look at this image below …
I would never reveal this before and after for a client’s photo, so I’m showing you a behind-the-scenes look at Photoshop that I did on my own portrait.

portrait taken by Allison Rae

I hope you’ll agree that the “after” photo looks natural and if I didn’t show you this before and after you might not even know it was digitally enhanced. The re-touching is minimal but it certainly does make me look better (if I do say so myself!)

While I will remove blemishes, correct uneven skin tones, whiten teeth (when needed) and touch up some deep wrinkles, I don’t remove every laugh line, freckle or fly-away hair. There is an art to this.

When clients look at their photos, I want them to see themselves — their real, beautiful, flawed selves. My job isn’t to create perfection, my job is to capture and showcase you at your best. And to give you photos that you’ll be proud to share.

Ok, now it’s your turn to chime in. What do you think of re-touching? Do you like the idea or is it off-putting to you? I’d love to hear what you think! Feel free to leave me a comment below.