Before I beging here is another Dove video that was very good: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.psfk.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/photoshop_before_and_after.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.psfk.com/2008/04/warning-airbrushing-kills.html&h=240&w=250&sz=10&hl=en&start=10&sig2=CneH1-HeWhzLb-_sdjEjoQ&tbnid=51FcsGL2OdbhwM:&tbnh=107&tbnw=111&ei=tURdSPL-K4GaoQTA0LXMBA&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbefore%2Band%2Bafter%2Bphoto%2Balterations%2Bof%2Bmodels%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den

To begin with I admire the fact that both Aziz and Cucher's Dystopia series as well as Keith Cottingham's Fictitious Portraits series challenge the media and our concepts of actual photographs. At first I was very confused and thought Aziz and Cucher's series were actually people until I read his descriptions and saw that he is challenging our ideas of what people are, and how much the external flesh and what not actually matters.

I really enjoyed this weeks lecture because I always knew that photographic alterations were taking place but I never actually knew the extent. I was quite shocked that National Geographic would put its credibility into jeopardy by altering photos of nations. Also I knew models were changed but the dove video really threw me for a loop. It made me see that, I am sorry to say this, but a someone who looks like they haven't slept for two weeks, a face with dots of pimples and "impurities" can be turned into a beautiful face. I guess that gives the hope that anyone can be a model. As for all these models and thier beautiful faces and bodies, yeah right, see the picture I posted above, you yourself need to be confident of your own bodies and minds then these half naked, so called "beautiful" people will not bother you one bit.

I also went and found another dove video which I posted the link to, that also shows the influence of media, subconciously skewing people's sense of reality. SEE IT.

Going back to the picture that I posted. You can see the difference that the before and after images. The artist of this photo changing emphazises symmetry and takes out any flaws by adjusting lighting and fixing the contrast to make the women more visually pleasing. Make up does wonders too so don't forget that. Her hair becomes darker the black more vibrant, the folds of her skin and cellulite all disapper with the magic of applying more light here and less light there. It is a kind of magic art, playing with technology to make images perfect. Plus bigger boobage never hurt, I guess...

IF YOU HAVEN'T READ ANYTHING JUST GO TO THIS SITE. A FAMOUS PHOTOGRAPHER SHOWS BEFORE AND AFTER IMAGES OF CELEBS AND YOU ROLL OVER THE IMAGE TO SEE THE BEFORE THEN THE AFTER!!!

http://glennferon.com/portfolio1/index.html