To air brush is human

Liberty Island - 100510

I can't remember when I first heard the term air brush as part of photography.   It may have been in reference to a movie poster or Playboy photo layout.   The term had both positive and negative aspects, but either way it means it is moving toward a lie or a fiction.


According to Wikipedia -

Airbrushing has long been used to alter photographs in the pre-digital era. In skilled hands it can be used to help hide signs that an image has been extensively retouched or "doctored".

As a result of Stalin's purges, and later destalinization, many photographs of officials from the periods show extensive airbrushing, often entire people have been removed. The term "airbrushed out" has come to mean rewriting history to pretend that something was never there. In contemporary academic discourse, the process of removing components from an image is formally known as object removal.

The term "airbrushed" or "airbrushed photo" has also been used to describe glamour photos in which a model's imperfections have been removed, or in which their attributes have been enhanced. The term has often been applied in a pejorative manner to describe images of unrealistic female perfection and has been particularly common in reference to pictures in Playboy, and later Maxim. [Emphasis mine]

 That last paragraph summarizes the yin\yang of this technique.  Are we enhancing a photo or creating a lie, or both?  It depends on the intent.

The term airbrushed has faded in recent years in favor of the terms photoshop or photoshopped.

The term originates from Adobe Photoshop, the image editor most commonly used by professionals for this purpose. 

... photoshop is widely used as a verb, both colloquially and academically, to refer to retouching, compositing (or splicing), and color balancing carried out in the course of graphic design, commercial publishing, and image editing. - Wikipedia

As with airbrushing, photoshopping has both positive and negative connotations.  I always hear references to it in class.  "Oh, you can photoshop that out."  "Did you photoshop that cloud?"  "Her skin is so smooth.  How much photoshopping did that take?"

I never learned the craft of air brushing.  I am a novice in Photoshop.  I am pretty proficient in Adobe Lightroom, which enables me to smooth skin, enhance clarity, and clone out imperfections.  As I learned this application I had to set my personal aesthetic for the tool.  Here are my rules.

1. I shall not remove or add objects.  (Telephone poles, people, tattoos, furniture, etc.)
2. I will lightly touch up physical appearances.  (Remove pimples, rashes and other temporary blemishes.   Lighten eyes.  If smoothing skin, very little correction, if at all)
3. I will play with saturation, color, contrast, etc as much as I want, but it will not be in a effort to cosmetically improve the subject.  It is more for mood and message.
4. I have the right to break these rules, if, and only if, my intent is to create a fiction and note it in the artist statement for the piece or series.  The further from the truth, the greater the need to acknowledge the alteration.

One models refused to work with me because I do not smooth skin.  I do not hide age.  I do not accentuate these things either, but if they are present, they will be in my photo.  If a model can not accept their own "imperfections" then they should cover them with clothing, wear make up, or move on to another photographer.  The only times I will do heavy skin modification is in relationship to rule number 4 OR if the model or a client is paying me to take these photos and need a certain look.  In that case, they get the look they want.

Why am I a stickler on keeping it natural?  I want the world to see the natural beauty of humans, buildings, nature, etc..  If we can't acknowledge our wrinkles, acne scars (I've got them), TB shot scars, and other "imperfections" then we have little right to criticize the mass advertising world for doing the same in fashion/glamor photos.  We are all vane and want to look our best.  If you want to look your best, either hire me and direct me or move on to a photographer who will give you the photoshop botox you feel you need.  If I am creating the image for me and my art, you need to be comfortable in your own skin.  You already live in it.

You can find more of my soap box rants on this subject here.

Here is a link to a recent post at  Hear Me Roar  about the use and abuse of statistics.  It mentions anal sex...   I thought that would get your attention.