A tale of two heads…
…is better than a tail with two heads–any day. This is the true story of a wedding-photojournalism photo-illustration.
Last week I received and email from my beautiful and lovely client Kati, who asked me in no uncertain words to either crop out her mother from a photo or possibly perform a very delicate entire-head transplant. Kati explained that this photograph (Exhibit A below) was one of her favorite shots but that she wished her mom could have been making a better face. In her defense her mom forewarned me before the wedding that she did not take great photographs.
Exhibit A
Nonsense! We have plenty of really nice photographs of her from all angles throughout the entire wedding night and this beautiful woman danced and partied like a teenager. Note exhibits B-D:
Exhibit B
Exhibit C
Exhibit D
However, Exhibit A was one of Kati’s favorite shots with her two incredible parents in the limo on the way to her wedding ceremony. What was I to do? Cropping her dear mother out of the moment (a moment she most definitely shared) seemed a bit harsh. There were certainly other shots from the limo that yielded a great image of her mom with her dad–but there was just something about this one image that Kati just couldn’t let go. Something in the way she glowed sitting between two people that she loved dearly. I couldn’t just stand by coldly when I possessed THE POWER!
Like a sugeon playing God (maybe one of the guys from Nip/Tuck or House) I could give this photography new life and put a smile on the face of this damsel in distress. I must remember the line of a young Peter Parker in Spiderman:
Yes it pains me to be thinking this but maybe I’m creating the Frankenstein Monster. Maybe this will leap off the operating room table and wreak havoc or, just maybe I have the arrogance to believe I can control it–yes, yesssss, I can control it:
And so it began that cold, dark night in early March with a wicked New England blizzahd howling outside, I sequestered myself in my office and began to work. Photoshop oozed from my pores and my eyes glazed over with glee. You’ve all done it! You know you have. We’ve all swapped heads with friends, put our heads on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s rippling body and dropped ourselves in scenes of history like Forrest Gump.
But this was different, right? Right. This is giving my client 110%. After all we soften wrinkles, whiten teeth and remove tattoos, what’s the difference with performing complete head replacement therapy? Oh the darkness of it all. Will this agony I feel deep inside last forever? Journalism is having a tough enough time these days with great news organizations going belly up every day. Certainly journalism doesn’t need me messing with it’s step-brother’s-friend’s-little-sister-twice removed–WEDDING PHOTO JOURNALISM. No Glen, say it ain’t so.
The deed is done. I give you Exhibits E + A = F and leave the last word to Kati: “It is absolutely PERFECT!! Can I order a couple of separate prints for me and my parents wall? Four 5×7′s? Two black and white and two in color? Whatever you think about what looks best in the album-I love this pic so much-thank you guys!!!”
Exhibit E
Exhibit A
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: Exhibit F - Just the way it happened 
Addendum: Just so there is absolutely no confusion the above rant and associated videos are ment all in fun and while I think this may be very obvious I wanted it to be stated. Also, I have the blessings from my awesome couple to use their likenesses and quotes.