The first rule of professional photography is 'fulfil the brief' - give the client what they ask for (the second and third rules are give them more than they ask for and give them what they ask for in a different way).

The old saying is that the camera never lies but in fact the camera always lies ... and the software even more so; there's a discussion to be had on the ethics of manipulating images, especially for news photography, but the camera doesn't record exactly what the eye sees - lenses distort perspective, lighting & reflectors alter tonality and software buffs, polishes & massages features.

It passes without comment that I use a 200mm lens for minimal distortion & aesthetic perspective and a trolley-load of silver reflectors to put an extra sparkle in the eyes & soften shadows and the new tool is anthropic software which adjusts facial features, smooths skin, whitens teeth and so much more. Clients want to look good so these tools get used and we discuss how much adjustment is right for them - I'm happy to fulfil the brief but ultimately they have to live up to the image.