Photo Course Day Three: The Key to Taking Flawless Photos

Babies have zits. Lots of them. They also have blotches, skin flakes, and even wrinkles!
Want to feel better about your skin? Examine the face of a newborn baby. You’ll see that your forehead lines have actually been there all along.
Bonnie here, again, with another simple photo tip to instantly improve the look and saleability of your photos.
We won’t dive into the deep psychological tar pit of self-image. But I will say that for the most part, people don’t picture themselves with bags under their eyes and deep wrinkles on their face.
So, it’s your job as the photographer to eliminate these things. Instead, show them the person they see in the mirror on their best day.
Take my photo subject, below. She doesn’t have “flaws.” She has young, perfect skin and bright shining green eyes.

And yet, see how much better she looks in the second photo, below:

The light is soft in the first photo, but it’s coming from directly above my subject, casting shadows under her eyes and exaggerating even the tiniest bags and wrinkles. She’s not going to like that.
Can you fix it in Photoshop? Maybe. But why spend hours in a dark room, cursing at your computer, when all you have to do is hold up a piece of white cardboard to make your subject look gorgeous?
Notice how in the second photo, her skin looks bright and even, and her eyes have an extra “sparkle” in them. All you have to do is hold a reflector up to the right of her face and — BAM — instant gorgeous complexion.
Don’t have a reflector? You can get them at your local camera shop or on Amazon.com for anywhere from $12 to $80. Or, for a couple of bucks, you can pick up a piece of white foam core board from a craft store and use that.
Now, repeat after me: We are all beautiful inside and out… unless we forget to use a reflector.
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