“You Can Just Photoshop That:” 5 Things I Refuse to Edit in Photos
Usually it’s said half-jokingly during a session: a teething baby is covered in drool, and Mom wipes it with her hand and rubs it on the back of her pants. She’s apologetic, or quickly doing a once-over to make sure everything’s perfect (it won’t be) and as she hurriedly makes adjustments, she quips, “You can just Photoshop that, right?” And we both chuckle.
The truth is that there are several things that I just won’t edit out of your photos. The goal of our session is not perfection, my friend. The goal is connection. The goal is for you to enjoy time with your kids, and your partner, and maybe your dog, and for me to be there to document that time for you as it happens. Real life isn’t perfect, especially not with babies and toddlers.
Here are five things I just won’t edit in your photos:
Cooperation - if someone in your family is refusing to smile, I’m not going to change their expression for them. I also won’t edit out tears. They’re a real part of life and don’t need to be disguised or hidden.
I mean, really, what’s more real than this?
Any part of you that is permanent or semi-permanent - your eyes are the perfect distance apart, your nose is beautifully proportional to your face. But even if they aren’t, who am I to change anything about you?
Weight - While I cannot make you feel better about how you see yourself in the mirror, I can help you prepare for a session by choosing what you wear so it doesn’t cling in the wrong places. Some fabrics are better for chasing toddlers than others, amiright?
Hair & Makeup - While this is possible to do, it’s incredibly time consuming work, and frankly, I would need to charge a lot more for that type of work. I recommend doing your hair and makeup prior to coming to our session, if you want to look made-up in your photos.
Bra straps - Again, this is possible. But instead of spending hours editing your straps out, I’ll provide you with a prep guide that will help you choose outfits for your session, with the number one recommendation being to wear something that fits and is comfortable. If your outfit shows undergarments, I’ll assume that you don’t mind them in your photos and won’t edit them out. I can help you pick out outfits that won’t show what you don’t want seen, if you need help in the prep stage.
What I will do my best to edit:
Light acne - Most acne tends to be temporary bumps on the skin that goes away after a week or two. Our session might be a source of stress that makes those bumps pop up right when you don’t need them, so I’ll edit those on you, your partner, your kids, and even the babies who have hormonal baby acne. It’s all temporary.
Spots on clothing - (note I didn’t say stains though!) Sometimes during the editing process, I’ll see lint, dust, or dandruff that has shed itself onto your otherwise-clean clothes, and I’ll edit those spots out so they aren’t a distraction.
Food spills - Toddlers are notorious for spilling water or food on themselves at the exact wrong moment. Babies love to spit up on themselves immediately after you’ve put them in adorable clothing. If these are small spots, I’ll take the time to edit them out so we can keep moving. Other times, it might be necessary to change their clothes, though. I recommend extra outfits in the prep guide for this reason.
What can you do to avoid the need for heavy edits?
Prepare for your session using the prep guide I send you once we agree to work together. It will explain how to prepare yourself and your family members mentally (cooperation), and how to release and let go of perfection during a session so you have fun. I also include ideas for what to wear, non-messy snacks to bring, and how to prep your house if we’re doing an in-home session.
We’ll also work together during the session - if your child is flat out refusing to cooperate, we’ll take a break to reset, move to another spot, or allow them to make all their funny faces to release some energy and tension. I have a long list of things we can do to help kids enjoy themselves, including letting them be in charge of where we go and how we play.
The important thing is to let go of the need for your family photos to be perfect, and allow them to be perfectly you. Instead of worrying about whether or not everyone has a perfect smile, spend our hour together playing and connecting with your kids and your partner. Want to see what that might look like? Click here.
