Photo retouching and famous people in the media.
Dawn French in Soho hailing a cab 1991
When famous faces are everywhere in the media and on TV the pressure to look good is high. Celebrities faces are their income. If their face fails to look good then they don’t feel good about going on television or to media events. It is this pressure that leads to surgery and heavy photo retouching. There are some celebrities that don’t appear to have had any surgical procedures or work done, take Dawn French seen here in Soho in 1991. I took this photo when on a photo shoot in London. It was taken candid, and spur of the moment and shot from the hip. Dawn was in a cab before I could wind on the frame and shoot another. Dawn, is clearly happy the way she is and the way she looks.
I can see the point of view from both sides. Stars must have the best flawless face that seems to stay the same no matter how many years pass. This is so the image of them remains stable for as long as possible. The alternative is to build up their character and everyone remembers them for who they are and not necessarily what they look like. Therefore there should be no need for copious amounts of photo retouching.
Choose to be in the media and you will end up on magazines and you will then get judged the way you look and be pressurised to look thinner or younger. Or let it ride and just be who you are. Let your character be remembered rather than your image and how much surgery or photo retouching you have had.
Norman Wisdom was another star who aged very well. see this post, Norman Wisdom photo repair.
What do you think?
If you have a photo that needs retouching, check out my main photo retouching page to see how I can help you and how you can hire me.