Post Production

'How far is too far?'

In an age where you can't always believe what you see, how far is it acceptable to go with post production?

Nowadays pretty much every photo we come across has been enhanced in some way. We see images of celebrities every day and none of them are what they actually look like. We see models walking down catwalks and then the photos are in magazines being completely retouched and changed.

Retouching images dates back to the 1860s when you had to physically paint the image to edit it. There is a very famous photograph where it shows Abraham Lincoln apparently posing for a photograph, it turned out that it wasn't actually him and that the only part that was him was his face and the rest of the photo was edited.

(Abraham Lincoln's edited image)

This image of Joan Crawford is also an example of retouching. This image on the left was taken by George Hurrel in 1931, the image on the right is the retouched version. The retouched version looks so flawless and smooth that it almost looks like a painting rather than a photograph.

Even if you look at an image and you think it hasn't been edited, there is a very large chance that it has. Every image is retouched no matter how small, the best retouching will fool you into thinking that nothing has been done at all.

This image is a modern example of retouching. The one on the left is the original and the one on the right is the edited version, you can tell a lot that this image has been altered. Her skin, hair and even her body have all been photoshopped, she looks dull and grey in the first one and flawless, skinnier and highlighter in the second one.

But is this too much? Do we look at these images and think they look too much or do we like them?

I personally like the look of photoshopped images, I like how flawless they look. I understand that people may not like them as they could make people feel insecure or they might not meet the standards of beauty set by celebrities but as a makeup artist, I love perfection and so I prefer edited images. I do think that some photos can be too over edited though.

This is an image of Madonna posing for Dolce and Gabbana, you can obviously tell that the left image is the original. By looking at that photo, I would agree to edit it but when I look at the image on the right, my first thought is that it's way over the top that her face almost looks like a cartoon character, her skin is too flawless that it doesn't look real and the whites in the photo are too bright.

This is another modern example of a retouched image. You can very much see the difference between her skin in the two photos.

So, what's worse? The fact that this amount of retouching goes on? Or the fact that companies feel that they need to go to these lengths in this day and age?

I feel that there is very high pressure in this day and age with how people look, if a celebrity went out in public with a tiny bit of cellulite or stretch marks, you would see it all over newspapers the next day so for companies, especially cosmetic brands, they have to strive to make the adverts look as perfect as possible as this generation has become so judgemental towards the idea of beauty. I think in this day that this amount of photoshop is deemed as normal. People actually believe that Beyonce looks as flawless as she does in the second photo that when they see the first one, they're completely shocked and it doesn't even look like her.

How much of this is down to what the people in the photographs want?

Usually on any photoshoot, the photographer is essentially one of the most important people. It is up to them how they photo ends up looking so this photoshopping craze could be because of how they want the image to look like. If a magazine such as Vogue contacted a photographer, they would expect the image to look nice and I think if they got sent the first image, they wouldn't use it in their magazine, they would expect flawless skin in able to publish it.

How much of this is down to what we expect?

The reason Vogue would only publish Beyonce with flawless skin is because of our reaction. Magazines publish purely for their customers, they post what we want to see. If we seen Beyonce with non flawless skin in a magazine, we might be tempted not to buy it again so companies won't do it. As I said previously, it's down to how judgemental we've become that we would stop buying a product simply because the image doesn't live up to our standards of beauty.

There have been times were certain adverts have been banned because the images have been edited far too much.

These are two examples of this. Both images have been retouched that much, that the advert had to be banned. You can see more in the Dior advert that the model's skin looks too unreal, it is so smooth with no blemishes or flaws that she doesn't even look like a real person. The second image shows Twiggy who is a 66 year old woman, the image doesn't look like a woman of this age as her skin looks so flawless, she actually looks like a woman in her thirties.

There have been adverts such as the one above that is using fake advertising. The image above is meant to show what the mascara they are advertising can do, but it is false as the model is wearing fake eyelashes in all the three shots so you cannot tell truly what the product will really be like.

We watched a video in our lecture which I thought was very interesting, it was called 'Speed Retouch: 90 min in 5' and shows a tutorial of a photo being photoshopped but it's sped up so it's only 5 minutes long. It goes into great detail and they make sure they capture everything including making sure the hairlines are straight and her lips have light in them.

The before version

The after version

Learning lighting - Practical

7th October

We got to have a go in the studio and learn all about the different lighting. We got into groups and spent the two hour lesson taking photographs with different lighting setups by moving round the photography cubicles.

When you are capturing natural beauty, you should use a tripod and keep it mid face level as this will create the perfect view and angle for this look. If your model has bangs, you could capture a square shot and you can crop the top of the head off because the fringe is framing the face so you wouldn't create this type of image for someone without a fringe. You could use a beauty dish directly above your model when shooting beauty as this creates the perfect lighting for this type of shoot.

You will need to use a SYNC lead when shooting, this is what attaches the tripod to the light.

Basic settings

When starting to photograph, there are some settings your camera needs to be on.

• RAW image - this is especially good for when you are shooting portraits and head shots as it creates a professional look without looking too retouched.
• Manual - if you have the camera on automatic it changes the light.
• Shutter speed - this should be set to 1/160 because if you set it to 1/400 it creates a black shadow at the bottom of the screen, 1/600 creates a shadow that fills half the screen and 1/800 creates a black shadow over the whole screen)
• ISO - this should be on 100. This is essentially a volume switch, the louder it is the more distorted the image will be. The higher this is, the bright and more non existent the image. You should never have ISO on when the camera is set to automatic.

When shooting a beauty shot, you should stand further back and zoom in rathe than being up close. If you want to make the eyes stand out, you could use a silver reflector under the face.

The Importance of Casting a Model

Today in our lecture, we were taught about the importance of casting a model. This is very important especially in the makeup industry, you have to make sure you have a model that you can rely on.

Before a photoshoot, you should always do a casting of your model before booking them. This is because the internet may not always be accurate, especially with photoshop being so used in the fashion industry nowadays. If you cannot meet your model before wanting to book them because they may live too far away, you should ask them to Skype or FaceTime or ask them to send you an untouched image. By doing this, you will know that your model does look how you want and not too photoshopped or touched up too much.

To get a model, you can always go to a casting agency and ask them for a free model that you can use. If they accept, there are a few things you can do in return for them letting you use one of their model's, you could cover the expenses of the model's travel, you should look after them by making sure they always have a drink or need anything to eat and lastly, you can offer the casting agency images from the photo shoot as a thank you.

You should always consider the model's features for example their eyes can look different under different lighting, under dark light or in a dark room the eye pupil becomes bigger which is why you shouldn't shoot beauty shots in dark rooms, you should also not put a flash by a model's eyes when in a dark room as this can cause red eye.

When working on a photo shoot, you should always make sure the sets are relaxed and calm and cool. It is up to you to make sure your model is always okay and to make sure everyone is relaxed. You shouldn't put too much pressure on yourself, you can do test shoots before hand, you can ask people to help you when possible, you should be prepared and give yourself enough time.

Some models you may get may not be experienced so you need to make sure that you direct them on set so you get what you want out of the shoot. You could always take some tear sheets with poses that you like and show the best way of demonstrating a pose, you could step on set and show your model exactly what you want. Movement is very important, you should keep your model moving at all time and not let her just stand or sit around waiting. You should keep yourself relaxed because if you are anxious then your model will be as well. Listen and talk to your model, ask them questions about anything, if you don't know them then ask them questions about themselves and get to know them. Be honest and up front with your model and make sure not to come across as rude. Body language this is important as it is a way of communicating with your model. Don't cross your arms or turn your back to them and don't whisper to your model or on set and this will seem rude and people may think you are gossiping. Mood, if you are having a bad day, don't let it show as this will have a huge impact to your team and make make the set seem uncomfortable. Fine tune, you should do this to your shot, once you are happy with your composition you should look to see if there is anything that looks annoying or stands out such as a hair on the face or an annoying eyelash, you should fix it while your model is on set as this is a lot easier than trying to photoshop it online later on.

Remember that everyone is different so you should choose poses that fit your model's style. Attitude is something you want in your model, you want them to look fierce and confident while shooting. If you come up with poses before the model gets on set and she doesn't suit them, you should change them so they fit them. Try and catch quiet moments that happen on set as sometimes the best shots are taken when the model is completely relaxed and not posing so always be ready to take a shot.

You need to create a mood for your shoot. What gives mood on a shoot?
There are several things that affect the mood, this includes; lighting, styling, background colour, posing, your model, colour palette, tonal range that's being displayed and high key or soft key lighting. All of these affect what your overall image will look like.

High key lighting - bright/contrasting
Low key lighting - lighting from the side (mostly natural light)

Think of your composition for the photo, do you want a profile shot? Do you want the shot to be shoulders above? What do you do with the hands and if they are on show, what are you going to do with the nails?

We were shown a website called 'http://www.lulielens.com/retouching/freckled-beauty/' this shows how an image can be retouched up so much that it can look like a completely different person. The website shows an image of a girl with freckles on her face looking just slightly past the camera, there is then a slider over the photo and when you pull it to the other side, there is the image but with a lot of retouching to it.

This image shows the model before any touch ups.
This shows the slider and compares the images. You can see the difference in the skin and the eyes.
This last photo shows the touched up image. You can see how she looks a lot different.

This is very important for what I said before about how important it is when casting a model to make sure they actually look how you think.