Photo of Christian and how I edit

Yesterday I photographed our friend Christian; he's a playwright and an actor and wanted a couple of new headshots.  This is one of the final edits.

I want the photographs I make of a client to look like the client, yeah I edit the images.  I correct color, brighten the eyes and teeth, and I clean up the skin.  I feel anything more starts to look unnatural.  If the people you send your headshot to don't recognize you when they meet you for the first time I've done both of us a disservice.  Here is a before and after crop of Christian's headshot:

I don't like to remove something that's part of the clients face, a mole/scar/birthmark is going to be with you when you meet with someone. It's you, and I hope you've learned to love yourself.  Will I remove a blemish is a client asks, sure, within reason in the pre-digital age what you saw was generally what you got, but everyone has an idea what can be done with a digital file.

Miguel asked me to remove the bags under his eyes.  He felt they made him look tired, alright I'm happy if your happy, but I think it makes his face look ... different.  Here is an image I edited where I did my "standard" skin is softening.  

So there are bags under his eyes, most of us have bags under our eyes, they give our eyes shape and our heads volume.  If you don't want to look tired get eight or nine hours of sleep the night before we shoot.