# Adrianne, before and after.



## RMThompson (Nov 19, 2009)

Just a shot displaying a Before and After of a recent picture. It was on another thread, but I figured this will give people a good chance to critique on my processing decisions. What do you agree with or not? The rainbow is SURE to get me some flak! HA HA


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## .tAylor (Nov 19, 2009)

i really like your edit. even the rainbow.

not over-done.


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## PhotoXopher (Nov 19, 2009)

Question I have is... does she want the moles removed?

Otherwise I like the edit, minus the rainbow...


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## RMThompson (Nov 19, 2009)

PhotoXopher said:


> Question I have is... does she want the moles removed?
> 
> Otherwise I like the edit, minus the rainbow...


 
yeah she requested them gone. I don't mind them normally, but I think it's a good choice here.


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## Pugs (Nov 19, 2009)

Um... you already know how I feel about the rainbow, vignetting, tilted horizon, and her expression from that other thread.  

So, since you're asking about post, I don't like the narrowing of her thighs, it looks unnatural.  You did a good job smoothing out the fabric of the gusset of her bikini bottoms.  The skin tones get a little washed out on the left arm and shoulder.  Nice job smoothing the face, it looks natural.  Just the right amount of saturation on the red swimsuit.  

Overall... good post-processing, 'cept for that rainbow and vignetting... :-D


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## Early (Nov 21, 2009)

I like the edited one but not by that much.  You added some contrast and removed the blemishes, but it seems to me you lost some detail in the highlights.  The rainbow's a nice afterthought, though it would have been nice if you could have framed her withing it somehow.  They're both eye catching stand alone.:thumbup:


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## JaimeGibb (Nov 21, 2009)

Narrowing of her thighs...seriously? She is perfect as she is. This is disappointing.


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## mar1u5 (Nov 21, 2009)

I like the edit. The rainbow just adds to the picture. The only thing I'd suggest is to use the "select color range" tool in PS, and copy over the highlights from the un-edited one over to the edited one - as they're blown out a bit too much in the edit, but pretty good in the original one.


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## RMThompson (Nov 21, 2009)

JaimeGibb said:


> Narrowing of her thighs...seriously? She is perfect as she is. This is disappointing.


 
Per request of the model. I didn't agree with it either, but why is it disappointing?


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## Pugs (Nov 22, 2009)

RMThompson said:


> JaimeGibb said:
> 
> 
> > Narrowing of her thighs...seriously? She is perfect as she is. This is disappointing.
> ...


 
In my book, because it represents the absolutely anorexic and unrealistic body image that we as a society force upon young women. This unnatural and ridiculous "standard of beauty" ruins their self-image and promotes unhealthy behaviours. 

This girl as she is, for instance, hasn't grown into her adult curves yet and will look a lot healthier and attractive when she does (in my opinion), but already she thinks she's too fat and needs her thighs made skinnier in post-processing. What is going to happen to her self-esteem when she actually does develop adult curves? What unhealthy behaviours will she force upon herself in the quest for this unrealistic "standard of beauty"? 


I have comic books from the fifties and sixties and there's an add that sticks out in my head. The add was targeted at teenaged girls. It had a picture of a normally proportioned, attractive young woman and the caption was, "Never Be Called Skinny Again - says beautiful young actress Quinn O'Hara!". Skinny was undesireable and the add was for a tonic to help girls GAIN weight. Today, you call a teenaged girl skinny and she'll gush and blush and be flattered. 

Studies also show that the unhealthy behaviours and starvation diets that young girls put themselves through to get "skinny" actually slows the metabolism and leads to obesity in adulthood. Obesity in turn demolishes their self-esteem and self-value even further. 

Basically, it's disappointing because it points to how we're willing to callously damage women in our society. And for what? Your model is a pretty young woman. She has some growing and maturing to do physically, and I'm sure emotionally and intellectually, too. But she's already on the road to being stunted in that emotional development.

Sorry for the rant. I really don't mean to crap on your thread with my views on our society and the place of women in it.


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## RMThompson (Nov 22, 2009)

Pugs said:


> RMThompson said:
> 
> 
> > JaimeGibb said:
> ...


 

Interesting response. I will say that I agree with you for the most part. Women, especially young women, are being raised with a distorted view of healthiness, and images in popular culture are certainly a part of the problem.

However, I think it's wrong that you pretend to know anything about this girl's emotional well-being. It's a pretty broad stroke your painting with, and those types of generalizations never help anyone. I've worked with plenty of models who are naturally skinny, despite their age, and a large percentage of them have problems gaining weight, not losing it. I cannot stand when people jump all over someone because they are thin, and ASSUME they have health issues/

Furthermore, the structure of every human being is different. We mature physically at different rates, and you cannot know from a single picture of someone what stage of development they are in, especially when you don't know their age.


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## JaimeGibb (Dec 6, 2009)

Sorry RM Thompson for the late response. 

It is disappointing because it plays so much into this crazy societal view we have these days. I respect more the photographers that move away form that. Skin smoothing, okay. Eye brightening, fine. But body adjustments? However, as you said, this was at the request of the model, which is perfectly acceptable. But I must say, being a young woman (I am 24) I can definitely conclude that this girl does have some insecurities that should not be there. Not to say she is emotionally unstable or unhealthy, every girl, esPECIally an aspiring model, has an insecurity. 

I see what she sees...I can look at this original and I understand exactly what she didn't like - it's that slight outward curve in her upper thigh. And when she walks, her thighs tough together. I can tell by looking at her. And I know she probably hates that. What is sad about that is that that is what's NORMAL. Not even normal, THAT is thin! The thighs that do not touch are often pictured but if you actually see those women in real life, they look kind of freaky (no offense to any woman out there who's thighs do not touch). 

It's like if it was completely natural, which it is, for people to have 2 arms. But somehow professional photographers, over the years, started photoshopping third arms into models pictures. Now there are people out there who have third arms, but it is not natural, not normal. It is okay and can still be beautiful, yet all of a sudden, you have a society of women that either photoshop a third arm into their pictures or get surgery to acquire a third arm.

Ok, sounds a little extreme, but seriously, that's that this is like. Her thigh is inverted, that's how little she had to shave off. It is sad that she thinks that is what is more attractive, as it is sad that the women in my alternate universe think that a third arm is what's attractive.


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## nate_mcnasty (Dec 6, 2009)

not trying to sound like a jerk but if she is looking into modeling her thighs would need to be narrower. its sad. i use to date a model and she would worry about things like knee fat.


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## Shockey (Dec 6, 2009)

All it needed was a saturation boost and slight exposure reduction and slight black level increase.
The skin is marginally blown in the rework and nothing of value was added, of course just my opinion and if you like it rock on!


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## JaimeGibb (Dec 6, 2009)

nate_mcnasty said:


> not trying to sound like a jerk but if she is looking into modeling her thighs would need to be narrower. its sad. i use to date a model and she would worry about things like knee fat.



Right. And that is ridiculous...


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## CW Jones (Dec 6, 2009)

I like the edit done. and if its what she wanted then fine. Only thing is, if she is using it for her portfolio or anything and then goes in to an interview or something and doesn't look like that, she probably wont get the job. That's her issue not yours tho haha


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