The Sexualization of Post-Processing...and Some Other Things

I was already planning on writing this post about post-processing, then I got an e-mail this morning from Digital Photography School to view a post from Leanne Cole who writes about post-processing. You can view her post here: http://digital-photography-school.com/its-your-image-do-what-you-like-to-it/

It's a really interesting post and it addresses the issue of photo manipulation. She has her own thoughts, I have my own thoughts, you have your own thoughts, and everybody else has their own thoughts.

Here's Where I Get Critical

When it comes to photo manipulation, I draw the line at portrait photography. That's not to say we can't color correct or edit the photo to portray a certain mood. I do it all the time. What I mean by drawing the line at portrait photography is the idea of changing how the actual person looks.
Shrinking the hips
Filling the lips
Widening the eyes
Tightening the thighs
Clearing the sags
Removing the bags
All that jazz.

I'm not trying to bag on the people who do this for a living. It's a skill and--as much as I hate to say it--an art in doing this kind of photoshopping. It's understanding the market and creating photos that will attract those people. I just don't approve of it.

Why don't I approve of it you might ask? Well, it feeds into society's view of what is "supposed" to be beautiful. It sexualizes the human body and creates a person that doesn't exist. It makes us desire the wrong things. It makes us shallow.

Let's be real, this kind of photo manipulation mainly happens to females. With that being said, by continually photoshopping the body in this kind of way, women will strive to look like these figures and men will be searching for these "perfect" women. This kind of mentality leads into problems like eating disorders and self-esteem issues. Women who are already beautiful are pressured to make themselves "look better." And when they finally reach their goal? Well, I think they still looked better before.

Take a look at this video. I'm sure you've seen it. A word of caution before opening, it may be a little explicit for some viewers. (Partial Nudity--but you don't actually see anything)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17j5QzF3kqE

This video is just an example of how much photo manipulation can change how someone looks. Yes, the final image makes her more attractive. I won't deny that. But that's exactly the problem! That girl in the finished picture? Yeah, she doesn't exist. It's a whole new person. It's a whole new identity.

This issue makes us focus on the outside. It makes us focus on the shallow attributes of ourselves. It makes us focus on the things that shouldn't matter. We spend so much time on our outer image that we forget about what matters: our character.

That Was My Two Cents; Now Let's Lighten The Mood

This is the part where I talk about why I think post-processing is perfectly fine. Editing, I think, is an art. If you read Leanne Cole's post that I mentioned earlier, it'll help you get an idea of why I think post-processing is an art and why it's okay. She puts it in words that I wouldn't be able to. There is a certain artistic style that each person carries when it comes to editing photos. That style can change over time, just like any other type of artist.

Here is an example of where my style kind of changed. This first photo is the shot out of camera:

This one is the first time I ever made an edit to it a while back when I first got my DSLR:

This is my most recent re-edit where I'm trying to make flatter looking shots:

Okay, okay, the second photo isn't necessarily the same shot as the first and last. It's from the same day though. This is just to show you the idea of how styles of editing can change over time. This is also to say that it's about creating a photo that you envision in your head, like any other artist would. Before, I really wanted some saturated colors and a clear silhouette of the pier. Now I want a more retro/vintage feel to the shot. Neither of these interpretations are necessarily right or wrong, though. 

Photoshop, Lightroom, and any other editing software gives us the tools to create the image we imagined. It's an extension to the camera and helps us create photos beyond the limitations of the camera. It helps us explore our creativity and pushes us beyond our imagination.

I have some other things about post-processing I would like to talk about, but I think that's enough for this post. I've already said a mouthful. If you've made it this far in my post, well thanks for reading my rants and persevering through! You're pretty awesome for doing so.