Death by Photoshop

I've always had this thing against photoshopping people to death.  So much so that asides from the very occasional pimple, I simply don't do it. 

I watched a video recently of a guy calling himself a Photographer / Retoucher, who in the video said that 99% of the images you see in certain magazines are photoshopped.

This is a link to the video. http://youtu.be/YP31r70_QNM   (link will open in a new window)

If you've watched the video you'll probably agree that the girl featured is slim and beautiful.  With a little bit of make up she wouldn't need any post production work done.

Take for example my latest published work, the Gaspari calendar.  Other than converting to black and white, none of the girls have been photoshopped in any way.   With the girls posing correctly, some decent lighting and a good make up artist in the shape of Laura Forrest, nothing extra needed doing.

The Gaspari calendar is just one example, but the same applies to the rest of my work.  Asides from a few simple corrections for exposure, colour balance etc, none of the images you see on my website have had any airbrushing done to them.  I'm really rather proud of this fact, and over the years I've had hundreds of photos published.

You could argue that most of the models I work with are gym rats, and hence look better than average, and of course you'd be right.  However isn't that all part of it.  If you want to look great in pictures then you have to put a bit of work in yourself and not leave everything up to the "photoshop artist"?

My work isn't perfect, and no model is perfect, but at least the pictures I take show models with an obtainable and not impossible look.

Should I change my attitude, I mean if you watch the video the photographer featured appears to own a large and rather sexy studio.  From the one picture we see his work seems to be average at best, yet he appears to be rather successful.  I'm probably reading too much into what we see in the video, for all I  know he could be an actor paid to play the part, but you get my point. 

Would I be more successful if I photoshopped my images to death?

I'd appreciate your feedback, so please leave your comments below...

Things to tick off my vision board

Finally I get to tick something off my vision board.

For years I've wanted to have a calendar properly published featuring exclusively my work.  This year, or should that be 2012, it's happened twice.

The first calendar, Bikini Gold, features photos from my archives of several trips and shoots across the USA and Canada.  The second however is a much bigger deal for me.

I had the privilege of photographing the Gaspari Girls 2012 calendar, all new photos shot exclusively for the calendar, and working with a major supplement company - probably my biggest job in fitness to date.

If you'd like to get your hands on a copy of either / both of the calendars;

Bikini Gold 2012 is available for purchase from my website - prices are cheap, include postage and delivery is direct from myself.

and

Gaspari Girls Calendar 2012 is actually available for FREE direct from their website.