In a recent study of many images published in magazines it has been brought to the public’s attention the fact that many photographers have been lightening or darkening the skin tones of people. For example in a recent issue brought up against Time Magazine, they seem to lighten and darken the image of President Obama. The same kind of image was brought to the public’s attention, only this time it was in Elle Magazine. The actress of precious, Gabourey Sidibe, was on the front cover however her image was lightened for this cover. The change was extremely significant.
1 comment:
Interesting post Laura. I wonder how much of this intentional and how much is just a byproduct of the production process?
As photographers, we are often adjusting skin tone in the darkroom or in Photoshop to make them look "better". Some of the variations you point out could be coming from different people's interpretation of "better".
Another variant is lighting. Direct or strong light on human skin can make a big difference on its appearance.
Maybe both photos of Gabourey are inaccurate?
I've sometimes struggled to make adjustments and choices with dark skinned people in my own photos. There isn't just one way, or the correct way to do it.
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