Touching Up Bad Skin- Advice Please

How did you approach a client regarding touching up their skin if

their skin was really bad in the pictures? Did you just not touch it

up? I recently shot a couple for their engagement pictures and didn't

know how to approach this touchly subject. Advice is greatly

appreciated!

I don't do wedding photography but I shoot a lot of pictures of people. I don't specifically mention whether or not I'll touch up someone's skin but I regularly mention in advance that I always touch up the skin and photoshop imperfections. I've never had any complaints.

Ditto. I never like to openly discuss whether or not I've touched someone up after the fact,

because most people are likely to be uncomfortable. In fact, most people think of themselves

as more attractive than they really are, so when they see a touched up photo, done well and

not over-processed, they think, "Wow, don't I look great!", not, "Wow, they must have spent

hours fixing me up!". At least, that's my view.

Just like to add that, unless we're discussing retouching in detail, I am pretty vague about

what I do as far as touch-ups go. I don't specifically mention what I "fix". I just say that I will

'process the images in Photoshop and make them look as good as possible', or words to that

effect.

Is it a permanent or temporary condition? If you think it's temporary (stress zits?) it would be easier to broach. I'd just ask if they would like you to take care of it in the formals, or on enlargements. Don't volunteer to do every picture, because you could be committing yourself to dozens of hours of CRT time. One thing I don't recommend doing is just going ahead without asking. I did a portrait session for a family, and in tweaking the photos, I decided to use the desaturate tool on their teeth, to take away some of the yellowness. I didn't brighten them as that would look unnatural. I didn't do it to all the proofs, either. Fast forward a few weeks and the client called me up to ask why their teeth were whiter in some than others. I stammered something about global color adjustments. She chose one without the adjustment, anyway.

This IS a touchy subject! I actually had one client say to me, "could you brighter our teeth if they need it," which was cool. I said yes, and did it.

 

Once (and only once) I said something ahead of time like, "I can do specific requests if people want it, like whitening teeth or skin smoothing of acne." The people looked at me like I was the devil. The whole mood changed. I could totally see her thinking, 'Does she think I'm ugly? Does she think I NEED fixing? What a b**ch!' It was very awkward.

 

 

Other times I've removed one glaring zit from every picture even though it took tons of time to do them all, because I KNEW she'd like the pictures better, and because it would make a happier client.

 

As far as softening an entire face of acne...I've done it, but it DOES suck if you have to do it for lots of pictures. If someone's face is really rough, I usually WILL do it for each picture. I try to do enough so that it looks better, but not so much that the person notices how doctored it is. I want them to say, "Hey, I guess I was having a good hair/skin/smile day that day!"...not..."Yikes, she really changed the way I look."

 

Jennifer

Another thing you could do is to tell the couple, "I have several different styles I can give you. Here is one with crisp detail, and here is a soft focus picture. Do you have a preference?"

 

On the "soft focus" picture, you could blur out the acne and soften the face a bit. It might not be a 'soft focus' picture in the traditional sense, but it might allow them to see various options and decide what they like. Some people are OK with bad skin, accept it, and prefer that the picture reflect their real face. Others DO prefer the softened skin, at least for formal picture that they'll send to relatives.

 

Just a thought...

Jennifer

I usually don't say anything to the customer until I give them the proofs. I touch up one proof and show it to them and say, "I have digitally enhanced THIS proof, by whitening teath, softening skin, and sharpening eyes. (just through "softening skin" in there with the rest of the enhancements) If you would like, I will enhance anything that you order, just let me know." I have never had anyone not want it.

There are a few ways I approach this. First I approach it through the camera by using long

focal lengths to get further away from the client so that the light reflected off of the face

appears more even and smooth. Secondly, I find the light angles that flatter the best

features of the face and use those to my advantage in posing. If after doing everything

possible in the camera, I still need to make corrections post-facto, I just make them in the

most essential images. Sometimes I will also provide a folder of originals on their back-up

CD so that they have something to compare, but I haven't ever approached the client

about skin touch-ups.

Mark is right that most people don't see all their skin imperfections. The camera fixes them in place and makes them far more obvious on the picture than they are in the mirror--judicious retouching makes them look as they see themselves.

 

I don't ask to remove temporary blemishes, and I've certainly never had anyone complain, "You took off my zit."

 

With older people, I'll subtract about the last three-to-five years of small wrinkles, age spots, and age moles without asking. Scars and life-long moles, I'll only lighten slightly (the camera emphasizes them more than they're noticed in real life), but not remove. I'll also lighten most other blemishes a bit.

 

I'll use Liquify in Photoshop to tuck in the small bulges that even the trimmest people show where flesh emerges from snug clothing (especially when women wear short sleeves against my recommendation). I'll also lift neck and jowl flab just a tiny bit and open up an eye that is slightly closed or smaller than the other.

I don't like to overdo skin. It looks fake and unflattering. Photoshop Elements 3 and Paint Shop Pro X have handy tools for quickly touching up blemishes and even moles. It's less effective on larger areas of reddish blotches and wrinkles but can still be used with a little care.

 

My niece and her hubby-to-be are teenagers and were so nervous going into their wedding last year that their complexions were a mess by wedding day. My niece's aunt is a cosmetologist and did wonders with subtle makeup. But I relied on touch up tools in Photoshop Elements and PSP X to repair hubby's face. The end results look perfectly natural because I didn't touch the pores or lines that define the face.

I create with photographs additional features after the click of the shutter that my clients seem to like. Each client has specific needs based on a number of things. Besides the cosmetic treatment of areas such as the skin, I will focus on the eyes having a process to enhance them in certain ways. I will also work in other areas of the image such as the background just to mention one.

 

I'm taking a class on painting and hope to apply what I'm learning to what I do as a photographer. My goal is to elevate my work. It is a constant learning process for me.

 

This additional creative stuff I do is what I believe differentiates my work from others.

 

My goal is to creative beautiful and flattering images of my clients.

 

Thought I would pass this on as it has improved my business from many aspects.

I do not tell them and i do not over process and what i heard from clients wow you bring the best of me i finally found a photographs who can't get my best side, you are correct it isn't about much you spent touching them up.

When I have my initial meeting with clients we go through some sample albums and I'll also pull out my "digital magic" book which shows some of the things that are possible with PS after the images have been captured. I let them know that all the proofs are tweeked for color, brightness, and light complexion/blemish work. If someone has significant skin issues, then I discuss how much we can or can't do with PS and the additional charges to cover it. Just use the golden rule and treat people the way you'd like to be treated. If their skin is an issue, they already know it....be sensitive but professional.