Making Elbow Room

This is the end result. You can tell where I added,
but to the untrained eye it won't be noticeable.

It has become common place for me to "add" bits and pieces to photographs of people when I'm not granted the opportunity to take my own photo. If I can't find a replacement part online within the first few minutes of searching (because it is difficult to find a photograph that has the body part I'm looking for photographed at just the right angle, and/or if the angle is right, in a usable resolution) I often end up "painting in" whatever bit or piece that I need to make the composition work for me.

The reason I'm thinking about this right now is that I did a baptism slide this week and I had to add an elbow. Since the slide isn't closely scrutinized (and is projected), I didn't concern myself with adding the perfect amount of noise to the painted part (if this was for print I would've been a bit more careful), but I started to think about how many times I've completed a head, added a hand, rounded out a shoulder and realized that I spend an inordinate amount of time doing those kinds of things to the photographs that I don't have the privilege of taking myself. It's fun, but I don't always have time to devote to those kinds of fun things.

Original shot cropped out both elbows.
I only needed the right one so...

You may wonder why I end up having to make use of photos that are missing shoulders or elbows. A while back I developed a small handout and email that explained what is needed in a baptism photograph, but since I am the only one who is concerned with the quality of the end result (and don't often have opportunity to speak with the people who ultimately provide the photographs) those guidelines have largely been disregarded.Such is the life of a underemployed graphic designer, eh?

(I cropped out the gal's face because she's a minor and I didn't want to request permission to place her likeness online for something like this.)