Photographers as defenders of truth

Still on portraiture: It is my personal belief that when a photographer takes portraits, photos that are supposed to reveal a person's personality and character, that photographer has a responsibility to be honest to the person he/she is taking a picture of.

I mean, yes: people will always want to look great in their photos. But helping them deceive themselves by forming a mental image of themselves different from who they really are is quite wrong. So hiding some scars and blemishes and pimples and all that stuff may be fine. But there has got to be a fine, thin line somewhere. A line that every photographer must be careful in crossing.

Portraits should make people appreciate themselves more -- know themselves a little more through the eyes of the photographer -- not dislike what they see when they look at themselves in the mirror.