To think Mum complaining about school photo retouching is being a bit, er, touchy

[justgoandgetalife]

School photo retouching service has been withdrawn after one Mum complained? Never mind that the company says it's a popular service. If she doesn't like it she can ask for the photo to be left untouched. It's all digital now after all.

When I ran a photo to canvas business we always asked the customer first if they actually wanted certain things retouching (sensitively of course) so maybe the company could just have asked?

Still up to the customer as we often used to remove whole people (ex-partners usually!) from photos or add people in so it's perfectly do-able. A pain for the photo service but that's why they cost!

I think consent for this sort of stuff is imperative. My ds was retouched. They made his skin "warmer". Or browner if we're being honest. I'm not sure it's ok to start messing about with children's skin tones unless you're running Third Reich Photography

I don't really get the need for consent when they are only going to flog it to you.
They take the photo.
You decide whether to buy.
They can't use it for other purposes.
FFS, who cares? Get truer photos taken privately if you don't like the school version.

That's a shame it's been withdrawn. Having two kids who wear glasses having the reflection/glare taken out is handy.

Totally agree though that shouldn't be used to obtain 'perfection'.

I've had some shockers home. Nursery child with what looked like a rash around her mouth (strawberry jam). Other child with food spilled down her dark top. I would have welcomed some discretion by the photographer to change these. I would also have welcomed some initiative by school staff to tidy hair if necessary, although I know they haven't got the time. dd2 has very fine hair and looks like she's gone through a hedge backwards three seconds after I've done her hair. The school photo is a real sight.

What I very much object to though is photographers playing with colours. One of my dc has beautiful pale strawberry blond hair and each and every school photo has come out bright orange (which can also be a lovely colour but it isn't hers!). Both dc's classes are a real rainbow mix of hair and skin colours but oddly in the class photo the children look very similar. I have no proof but could swear they 'adjusted' the colouring to make the very pale white blond child less ghost like and the very dark child with very black glossy hair less dark.

Mundelfall: yuk! Suppose it might be to do with school fearing prosecution if they clean a child's face. Sad.

Re other posts (haven't read all of them yet) - you can always either : not purchase; ask the photographers to retouch the other way; ask your customer up front!

Personally, having worked in a similar business - always ask the customer first.

Still think that Mum who complained has been VVU & needn't have gone to the media for her 15 mins of fame when she only needed to ask them?

The photographers weren't actually doing anything unusual, just hope they have learned to ask first.

BarineesES: trouble with providing proofs is that they are often too small to assess and are obliterated with watermarks.

So how would the consent for my child's skin treatment be positioned?

A bit of touching up with consent is fine.

Changing children's skin colour, removing moles or birthmarks not ok.

As for dirty faces those should be WASHED beforehand not touched up afterwards!

I don't really get the need for consent

Because the only person who gets to decide what to remove from my children is me.

Och, if she went to the media then by definition she is U.

I'm now wondering about DS's pic last year. It was so pale I thought they'd overexposed it, but now I'm wondering if they took his freckles out?

I would love this to have been available to my school photos 12 years ago. I have hideous huge spots and an awful cold sore, it makes me cringe looking at them which is sad as the photo is a memory. I could have made peace with the dodgy hair cuts but not a huge spot! Really don't see the issue

Really don't see the issue

Have you read the thread at all?

My ds is about to start nursery at a school and if and when the school photos are done I would be annoyed if his pictures were retouched because of the bad scars he has on his face.he is beautiful to us and we don't even notice them so for someone to retouch a photo because of them would upset me

I used to do this retouching job back in the pre-digital days, at a desk with paintbrush and photo inks. All I ever retouched was red eye back then.

How the world changes.

Exactly, WizardOfToss, exactly!

This has happened for years. One of my DC wore glasses so had to have the picture retouched or we couldn't see his eyes because of the reflection!

Other than that, leave them alone.

Is this what you are talking about?
She certainly seems to be enjoying her sad face moment in both The Mirror (linked) and the DF (not linked).

She does seem to be getting in a right tizzy about an optional service that very few people will want to pay for (what with school photos already costing a small fortune).

Here's what the service offered, I'd be ok about removing marks from jumpers but not 'blemishes' from my kids face.

Cor.
My school uses a well known School Photography service.
Both my dc came home saying they were 'scared of the photographer' (they are 8 and 11). They wouldn't go in on photo day.
So, I asked if I could accompany them (and help out if needed).
The photographer was sugary to my kids but pretty grim with the others, shouty and very impatient.
I called the Co to let them know (she had nowhere near enough time to process all the kids and her stress showed).
Photo Co have banned my family from future photoshoots at the school.
School are 'not getting involved'.

So, we don't even get the option of blemishes.

I am eagerly awaiting this year's crop. Ds1 had three massive dark red angry spots/ boils/ acne on his chin and nose on the day of the shoot. Two wear glasses and it is always a gamble whether we just get light reflected - one year they made dd2 take off her glasses for the shot. She has worn them solidly for ten years and they are a part of her, really. We didn't buy.
That said, this year, I am more concerned that the kids came home and told us the boys and girls were instructed to pose differently. Boys - one shot both hands in pockets, next shot from front arms crossed. Girls - one shot taken sideways, one hand on hip, one knee bent, the other same pose from the front. So it's nice that they are teaching our gels how to pose properly, right?

Yanbu. Teens should certainly be allowed to have spots retouched I certainly hate my teen pics, think I ripped up a fair few.

God, I'm really shocked by this! I don't even think it should be an option, what an appalling message it sends out.

Although I do have a photo of myself aged 6 with stitches on my cheek, artfully covered with hide 'n' heal concealer (in a dark orange colour, which contrasts nicely with my very pasty complexion) after accidentally tearing my cheek with a nail sticking out of a piece of wood.

My y7 school photo shows me accompanied by the biggest spot in the history of the universe. It took over my whole chin and had multiple heads. More of a boil than a mere spot. The sporners would have had a fit over it!

I would have paid out of my own savings to have it photoshopped out. As it was, it's still hanging in my parents house (I'm 37) - hopefully soon to be replaced by pics of dd! They also gave the little ones to all sorts of people, so this prehensile spot really did follow me around for years. Ruined any self confidence I might have had aged 12, that's for sure!