Do you make your models / clients skinnier?

[tirediron]

It seems that fake is the in thing.

'Fake is the new real' (All you need to do is watch five minutes of "reality" television to prove it)

 

[KmH]

Do you make your models / clients skinnier?

If that was warranted or desired by the client.
But as mentioned, when I did it, I did it with lighting, camera perspective, posing, wardrobe (if available), and makeup.

 

[fjrabon]

Do you make your models / clients skinnier?

If that was warranted or desired by the client.
But as mentioned, when I did it, I did it with lighting, camera perspective, posing, wardrobe (if available), and makeup.

yeah, usually first consult will be something like "I need you to photoshop off about 30 pounds, can you do that?" at which point I say "lets see how they look after we shoot, that is an option, if warranted, but usually I find it's not warranted if everything else is right." Then I try to show their best via posing, lighting, wardrobe, etc and then show them the results. If they're still insistent on photoshopping off 30 pounds, I do it, and I charge them a good bit extra for it. Most clients change their mind after seeing the results of good photography though.

 

[Derrel]

Just through lighting, posing advice/direction, and decisions about what to show and what NOT to allow in the frame. For example, if a person is heavy, then I would never think of using broad lighting and posing a woman in the masculine way...it's just make her look...heavy. If a woman has heavy thighs, I will not do seated poses with her wearing shorts or a short skirt....if a guy has a beer gut, I will NOT shoot shots that show him with a big overhang over his belt! The easiest way to avoid the need to liquefy/retouch is never to shoot something that looks obviously unflattering from the get-go...but to instead emphasize the good, and totally eliminate the bad by...not allowing it in the frame.

The problem with shoot first/fix it later is that is forces the need for continuity that basically, demands that a LOT of images need work, in order not to stand out in a bad sort of way. And also, bad posing and or bad lighting decisions (like using broad lighting and a unified chest/face direction for example on a female) are decisions that can not just be Photoshopped away, no matter what.

For a woman(or a man!) who is heavy or thick let's say,a pretty simple starting point would be to turn the body away from the light, then turn the head back toward the light, which will make the body appear more slender, sleeker, and with more drama, and which will make the face also look more slimmed, more attractive. "cross-body light, cross-face,short lighting" adds dynamic head/shoulder angle, body slimming, face slimming. It's just a basic way to make people look better using posing and lighting first.

 

[Buckster]

I give my clients the images they want, without restriction, using any and all methods and tools available to me. Posing, lighting, styling, Photoshop and any other tool available is just fine with me, if it gets the job done.

I personally have no qualms or ethical concerns at all about "altering people's bone structure, nose shape, and flattening faces with the skin smoothing that these programs do" and so forth, if that's what they want.

 

[The_Traveler]

So, yes, just about every portrait session we do, especially if they're buying wall portraits, gets retouching and artwork--often slimming.
However, that being said, we are appalled at and will NEVER use software like Portrait Professional on our clients! Altering people's bone structure, nose shape, and flattening faces with the skin smoothing that these programs do is NOT professional.

Sorry about the RANT…..

So, yes we do customized artwork, manually, in Photoshop on most of our ladies--there's ALWAYS something they don't like about themselves--and they're ALWAYS thrilled with how we make them look. And, because they are thrilled they refer us to their lady friends for their family portraits!

That seems like a distinction without a difference to me.

 

[Braineack]

Case in point:
http://i1.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/016/223/20951862f67ec84039168d7d46941b1d.jpg
http://www.naijanub.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/make-up.png

#1 all the way.

using tapatalk.

 

[407370]

I dont photograph humans much but I dont see anything wrong with giving a paying client what they want.

I have seen wedding pics of very close friends where I would not have recognised them because of the PP. They were very happy with the results and thats what matters.

 

[pgriz]

When I get asked to help them drop 30 pounds, I suggest a three month boot-camp, 1000 cal/day diet and 6 litres of water per day. Still waiting for my first slimmin' photoshoot tho.

 

[petrochemist]

I don't think my photos have actually put any of them of their food - or for that matter driven them to drink...
More seriously the local club tends to frown uppon excessive post processing, so I probably wouldn't try unless specifically requested. In any event I suspect my Photoshop skills wouldn't be up to this sort of tweaking anyway.
IMO changing lighting & posture to make a subject look better is the skill of a portrait photographer. Doing it in photoshop is the work of a graphic designer and is not photography.

 

[gsgary]

All I would do is make tits bigger and add a camels hoof

 

[pgriz]

All I would do is make tits bigger and add a camels hoof

And what do you do for the women?

 

[ryanestes]

Absolutely. Now, if I were shooting for a news assignment, or doing a photojournalistic story, of course I wouldn't want to do anything to compromise the journalistic integrity of my image. However... I work for pay, for clients, and my income depends on how much they like the images and consequently how much they spend on prints and products.

So... I will occasionally thin up some arms, push in a belly, etc. Nothing that people would notice -- you still want people to look like themselves and I certainly don't want to perpetuate the all-women-should-be-skinny-myth. But I want to present people with the best image of themselves, and if they wore the wrong shirt that day, nothing wrong with clearing it up.

Ideally I tackle this in camera by posing people in flattering ways, of course.

 

[SurvivalDad]

Very true. Fake is in.