Cosmetic Cleaning of Plants
Judy Glattstein (Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:49:57 PST)

Hi Justin and All,

I've heard this called "parkerizing" after a British photographer
notorious for cleaning before releasing the shutter. If you ever
wondered why magazine and book illustrations look better than reality,
it's because they are. I watched with amazement as a photographer taking
pictures of my client's garden for a magazine article cut peony flowers,
paper-taped them to thin bamboo canes, and inserted them elsewhere on
the plant. This was in order to create an evenly full effect. She also
insisted that the window shades on the second floor be pulled to
matching extension. Since the windows wouldn't appear in the shot I
thought this was excessive . . .

I'll move an intruding leaf, blow off a crumb of dirt - things that
would distract from the image. But I'll leave a nibbled leaf - that's life.

Judy