Yes, I Do Facelifts, Tummy Tucks, and Wrinkle Softening

This is a tricky subject, and I hope you'll understand why there will be no accompanying images with this entry.

One reason to choose a professional photographer is to make sure you're photographed in the most flattering of ways. All brides are beautiful, right? Under the best of circumstances, there will often be, well, some areas that can be improved. Even models and celebrities on glam magazine covers don't start out looking that stunning.

A bride I recently photographed was an absolute knock-out, and though photogenic, her complexion underneath layers of liquid make-up and powder was marred by huge pores that didn't look bad in person but would look terrible in print. In the good old days of film, the skin might have been airbrushed, but it still would have looked obvious. Digital brings multiple techniques and software to adjust flaws in a way that looks natural.

Young women with otherwise beautiful complexions will sport untimely blemishes or have dark circles under their eyes from all that wedding planning commotion. Even middle-aged women will continue to have blemishes, and they're more likely to have deep, unflattering lines. Still older women will worry about age spots and wrinkled skin. It is easy to go in on a photo and lighten the circles, lines, and age spots, and soften the wrinkles.

The lens does lie. Camera distortion can make the butt look big -- at least 15 pounds will be added depending on the angle. Software allows the photographer to correct the distortion and also take 15-20 pounds off the bride, or the groom for that manner. Grooms are not exempt. They have pot bellies and beer paunches and love handles. I have a software tool for tapping some of that back into place.

There are many techniques at the photographer's disposal to render a flattering image suitable for framing, but I would not want you to look unnatural or like someone even you would not recognize. The trick is subtlety. We want to enhance, not to perform plastic surgery, to work with what you were born with, rather than to remake you.

Most of the touching up I do is part of the package – you probably wouldn't even notice it. Occasionally, I will be asked to remove a shadow that makes the nose look bigger than it is or to remove an exiled relative from a group shot. I have to charge for these types of things.

Along these lines, when photographing groups, I take multiple shots, with and without glasses. When the camera shutter and the eyes blink at the same time or the flash makes ugly glares on glasses, the eyes can be replaced by opened eyes and the glare can be softened. Incidentally, camera flash glare isn't a problem with lenses that have an anti-glare coating. One groom went so far as to take the lenses out of the frames when it came time for formal portraits. He didn't have anti-glare and didn't want to be photographed without his glasses. Red-eye is rarely an issue with professional equipment.

What can you do to help? If need be, look for dresses that elongate the figure. One bride wore a long, crocheted sweater jacket over her dress to, um, cover up parts of herself she didn't want made public. The jacket did give her a streamlined look when it was in place, but it didn't stay in place as she moved, and the flip-flopping jacket made matters worse.

For the complexion, I recommend avoiding too much sun before the wedding -- redness is bad for skin coloring. Avoid lotions and make-up that brightens the skin and overly reflects the flash. The lens likes a defined facial structure that it can focus on, and those of us who have softer, lighter features (including me) should work to create more contrast in the face, eyes, and lips.

The best thing you can do is relax, enjoy the moment, and flirt with your new spouse. That's the only way I know to capture your inner beauty.