Sex, Lies and Pixels

Ethics and Imagery in the Digital Age.

First things first: You are already beautiful. Get over it.

Digital imaging technology has dramatically changed the way we view the world. Everything you see in the popular media today has been digitally altered in some form. Photoshop Artists can now completely and imperceptibly change a personʼs appearance to fit whatever arbitrary standard is in vogue at that moment. This has altered our perception of beauty to a degree that no human could ever hope to achieve in reality. There is a fine line between an artful and thoughtful enhancement, and a dehumanizing distortion of reality.

But we all have bad days. We realize that your goal is to present yourself in the best possible light to somebody who is special to you, and most importantly to yourself. So we do use Photoshop as a tool to this end. Because we canʼt always schedule the appearance of a temporary blemish, or a bad spray-tan. Maybe youʼre not so proud of the tattoo you got that night in Vegas, and sometimes that great-looking pose or favorite piece of lingerie makes things go “Squish” just a little too much.

But we want to shoot a portrait of you, the sensuous, beautiful and delicious creature that you are. Those laugh lines around your eyes are the evidence of a life spent laughing. Why erase them? Your eyes reflect the wisdom and experience of a lifetime, and are beautiful in any color. Chris Rock said it best” “You have got to hate yourself to want to change the color of your eyes...”

So here are Beneath the Pillowʼs Ethical Guidelines for Photoshop:

Rule Number One: Start with a great photo! Use great makeup and hair in a beautiful location. Shoot a great pose from an angle that makes you look spectacular without any help whatsoever!

Things we will then do:

-Remove blemishes, strech-marks, strap marks.

-Gently smooth your skin and give it a little glow.

-Remove bags and shadows under the eyes, and any other remaining evidence of that all-night bender.

-Fix that bad spray tan.

-“Un-squish” anything that your pose or wardrobe might squish.

-Reduce or de-emphasize, but not totally eliminate wrinkles or freckles.

-Make your eyes “pop” in their original color.

-Give your breasts a gentle lift, and make them subtly but realistically fuller, as appropriate.

-Gently de-emphasize crooked teeth through thoughtful shading and light adjustments.

-Remove any obvious flaws or detail errors (tags, errant hairs, etc..) that may have been overlooked during the shoot.

What we will not do:

-Dramatically alter the shape, size or location of your facial features or body parts.

-Change the color of your eyes.

-Give you skin like a plastic doll.

-Make your breasts noticeably or unrealistically larger.

-Anything that would make somebody look at the picture and say “That is Photoshopped”

And we will always be ready and open to discuss scars, tattoos and other special considerations on a client-by-client basis.

-Voyeur Boudoir