Figure 1: ‘Enhancement?’ 2018 Jo Sutherst
“When following your friends on Instagram and Facebook, you know their photos are all being edited to make them look better, and make their lives look more exciting – and if you’re not doing that, it’s almost like you’re not competing. Not [using photo editing] yourself may put you at a social disadvantage.”
– (Jeff McGregor in Spector 2017)
Software is readily available that enables us to edit our own image. We can change the shape of our faces, add digital makeup, and make ourselves look however we want. Through our ever-increasing use of technology, we are invited to rewrite our identities to suit whatever online platform we are engaging with.
This image demonstrates very clearly the subtle differences between my images starting top left with an unaltered image.
IMAGE INFORMATION:-SelfImported into PortraitPro SoftwareAddition of digital makeupAddition of digital makeup and digital lightingAddition of digital makeup, digital lighting, and skin smoothingFull PortraitPro edit
Many visitors to the exhibition spent a long time scrutinising each image, identifying each change. The grid worked well in that many visitors did not realise how much can be digitally altered in an image. I used the video below as a demonstration during the exhibition to show how quickly this could be done.
Many were visibly shocked at how much manipulation is possible and the speed it can be done.
REFERENCE
Spector, N. 2017. “So, you edit your own selfies but distrust people who edit theirs?”. NBC News [online]. Available at: https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/so-it-sfine- if-you-edit-your-selfies-not-n766186 [accessed 16 July 2018].
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