There’s a guy I follow online that I love. He’s quite the accomplished iPhone photographer.
Smart. Humble. Instructive.
But the other day, while teaching others about how to edit portraits, he completely and totally lost me.
He was promoting “facial reconstruction” apps as a good and positive thing in mobile photography today.
Thinning the face. Smoothing the skin. Whitening the teeth. Removing blemishes. Widening the eyes. Reshaping facial features. Applying digital makeup. Changing hair color.
Are you fucking kidding me?
I hate this kind of editing. It’s so phony.
This stuff is evil. It’s not good and it’s certainly not positive…
What the fuck happened to just being out natural selves-warts, pimples and all.
Why are we trying to be like someone we are not.
It’s dangerous. very dangerous!
It’s fake. Bullshit. Counterfeit. A complete sham! Don’t do it. Like ever.
Do you really, honestly, and sincerely want to pretend, publicly, to be someone you are not.
It is harmful to you, to others and to photography
Please. Stop the madness.
We don’t need this shit in photography. It’s gadhhh awful!!!
Be your damn self. I beg you.
People want the real you. Not a fake version of you.
Imperfect is the new perfect.
I just spent the last 3 weeks, shooting portraits at Sherwood Faire. It was orgasmic and, to me, represented intimacy at its finest.
No over-the-top, crazy, bullshit retouching.
Just natural, authentic encounters with perfect strangers. Click.
No pretense. No make-believe. No self-deception. No fucking bullshit.
Just honest, authentic portraits, with flaws, of everyday people living everyday life.
Sorry, I’m so vulgar and crazy about this but it gets me going.
I’m against these apps with every fiber of my being.
Click
Jack
P.S. These are photos, not all from my recent Sherwood Forest experience, but they tell the same natural and authentic story of life.
