Senior Adult portraits: Took images of my 97 yr old mother-in-law today. Just wondering how much editing you should do on the skin? She's a beautiful lady but her skin shows the age of...

wpas

Took images of my 97 yr old mother-in-law today. Just wondering how much editing you should do on the skin? She's a beautiful lady but her skin shows the age of her many years. I can see eliminating the major spots that stand out but probably leaving everything else. The worst area is her neck. What do you think I should do there, maybe some burning in?

joehel2 Loc: Cherry Hill, NJ

She looks younger than her age, I would leave it just the way you captured it.

Old Timer Loc: Greenfield, In.

I agree, leave it like it is. She does not look her age, but she earned the right to look as she is. I am not far behind her, so I speak from my perspective. I know some do agree but we can not go back in time.

Old Timer Loc: Greenfield, In.

I agree, leave it like it is. She does not look her age, but she earned the right to look as she is. I am not far behind her, so I speak from my perspective. I know some do not agree but we can not go back in time.

wpas

Thank you guys, you're very kind.

Nature_Shooter Loc: Chesterfield Missouri

Welcome! Looking forward to your posts and pictures. Happy shooting!

Capture her the way she really is and don't change a thing. The picture is perfect. You will be glad you did some day.

dancers Loc: melbourne.victoria, australia

leave it alone...........................nothing worse than doctoring a portrait. she IS a very old person, not a barby doll.

luvmypets Loc: Born & raised Texan living in Fayetteville NC

I would crop it down to the top of the dining room chair behind her. The background kind of pulls your attention away from her and I think everyone should see her for the very lovely lady she is.

Just my personal opinion

Nature_Shooter Loc: Chesterfield Missouri

I may or may not agree with the cropping in this case. If the items on the shelves are part of a scene you are used to seeing with her, keep them. My grandma had a candle on the shelf behind her chair that stirs memories for me. The same with the harmonica box on the shelf behind my grandfather. If the items on the shelves hold no meaning, by all means, crop them out.

mrpentaxk5ii

God bless her, she looks great for her age, I say leave the photo as is. I lost my father two plus months ago at the age of 86, my uncle found a B&W photo from my parents from their wedding, I printed it and framed it. it is on our livingroom wall just below a framed photo of my mom and dad, that he gave us about two years ago, it was taken in a studio in Virginia.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

wpas wrote:

Took images of my 97 yr old mother-in-law today. Just wondering how much editing you should do on the skin? She's a beautiful lady but her skin shows the age of her many years. I can see eliminating the major spots that stand out but probably leaving everything else. The worst area is her neck. What do you think I should do there, maybe some burning in?

With enough processing, you could make her look 30, but why? Leave it as it is.

WessoJPEG Loc: Cincinnati, Ohio

wpas wrote:

Took images of my 97 yr old mother-in-law today. Just wondering how much editing you should do on the skin? She's a beautiful lady but her skin shows the age of her many years. I can see eliminating the major spots that stand out but probably leaving everything else. The worst area is her neck. What do you think I should do there, maybe some burning in?

Nice, don't mess it up. Leave it alone.

Bob K. Loc: Indiana

Leave it like it is!!

Sallie Rugg

I agree, she looks great. The problem is, her neck is in sharper focus than her face. I'd blurry it a bit using Photoshop.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

Wouldn't we all like to live to age 96 and look as well as she. Wrinkles and all. I have taken photos in the past 2 years of some World War 2 Veterans, at a Veterans Event. Some are in wheelchairs. I shoot in JPEG, and I make prints for them. They are all 90+ years in age. No one, young and old, cares about the skin wrinkles. They are our greatest generation. As she is.