Photo Retouching - Good Or Evil?

Image : http://www.flickr.com

Photo retouching has received a lot of bad press over the past few years - who can forget that infamous Dove "Campaign for Real Beauty" advertisement, showing a decidedly average looking girl receiving a full makeover and then having her image retouched to within an inch of its life? We have heard everyone from journalists to politicians and even those involved in the beauty industry waxing lyrical about how wrong it is to manipulate images and how it creates false and unattainable ideals and expectation from young people. And don't get me wrong... I am the first one to raise my hand in criticism of a ridiculously flawless magazine shoot, or a skincare advertisement in which the model's face looks like pink plastic, or like some kind of weird computer generated version of a human. There is far too much of this sneaky image manipulation going on... and we all recognize it.

We all know that there is no such thing as a perfect complexion, or a perfectly cellulite free pair of legs, but we somehow accept these image into our lives nonetheless. Why? Because they are nice to look at? Because we are used to them? Because we are in denial and secretly want to believe that perfection is possible? All of the above.

The reality is that, while we may know deep inside that these images are fakes, we appreciate their artfulness and they have become part of a visual language that we understand. While we may wish for more honesty, particularly from advertisers, when it comes to the marketing of their products (and I think we can all agree that retouched photographs are one of the more minor issues here - pseudo-scientific diagram of a skin wrinkle, anyone?) we have become so used to this visual language that is has become its own entity. It exists outside the realm of reality and as long as we realize this and do not take it too seriously... is there really any harm?

Advertisers have a long history of irresponsible behaviour and the most important thing to remember is that they do not care about anyone except themselves and their clients. In this age of Internet and television and 24-hour "news" broadcasting, we cannot escape the net of advertising and all the evil that goes along with it. Advertising manages to creep into almost every facet of our daily lives... and there is only one way to deal with it. Ignore it. While previous generations may have been overcome by new harsher methods and by a greater quantity of advertising, The X/Y generations are increasingly numb to the advertising that exists all around them. They have to be.

So what are the benefits of the incredible new retouching technologies that exist now? Simple. To make your photographs better. Digital cameras are everywhere, but the people using them spend less time than ever before really learning how to use them. There is no need to carry around a heavy 35mm camera when you can whip out your iPhone instead. We edit our photos less than ever, amassing thousand of images on our computers and hard drives, most of which never even get seen. What a shame.

So here is the future - we need to start looking at our photographs, and printing them. Every month, pick out your favourite photos and spend a few minutes really thinking about what can make them better. Sometimes it is something as simple as lighting, or removing a shadow from someone's face. Even cropping an image correctly can change it entirely and turn it from humdrum into a real work of art. Try changing the colours in your image or focusing on one small detail and emphasizing it using light and shade.

Using retouching technology for creative rather than commercial purposes is the future, and the sooner we embrace it, the sooner we can take this wonderful technology away from evil corporations and back into our own awesome, flawed, wonderfully creative hands.