When it comes to editing your portraits with Photoshop, sometimes a little goes a long way.
Pam and Dave Zaring of Hillsboro, Missouri learned this lesson the hard way when they paid a so-called “professional” photographer $250 to take some family portraits for them. The family all put on their nicest outfits and assembled at a beautiful location, expecting to have a lasting keepsake that they’d enjoy for years to come. They even wrangled the family dogs into the photo shoot, which any dog owner can tell you is no easy feat!
Oh, and the Zaring family happens to be extremely photogenic — see for yourself:
Facebook
Seems like this photo shoot was a no brainer, right? WRONG.
After eight long months of waiting, Pam started to think they were never going to see the proofs at all. Then, when the pictures finally arrived, she could not believe her eyes! To say the photographer had gone a little crazy with the Photoshop would be the understatement of the century! You have to see these monstrosities to believe them:
Facebook
Ack!!! What on earth happened here? Pam, being a human being with a functional pair of eyeballs, was shocked when she saw the pictures. Thankfully, she also has a great sense of humor, so she shared the pictures to her Facebook page right away.
“Ok. This is NOT a joke. We paid a photographer, who claimed to be a professional, $2-250 for a family photo shoot. Please see these FOR REAL photos she delivered to us….She said the shadows were really bad on the beautiful, clear, sunny day and that her professor never taught her to retouch photos. Feel free to share
😂
🤣”
Facebook
Even grandma wasn’t spared by the almighty “magic wand” retouching tool! The only ones who got off unscathed were the dogs.
Once again, here are the Zaring’s cute sons:
Facebook
Totally normal, right? Their skin has the usual lines and shadows — all of the stuff that makes people look, well, like human beings. Nothing like the eerily smooth-skinned robot people in these photos:
Facebook
Each one is actually worse (and weirder) than the last! It didn’t take long before the pictures went seriously viral around the web. Soon, people from tons of different countries were commenting on Pam’s pictures, letting them know that the funny family pics were making people laugh all over the globe.
Naturally, the internet had some thoughts and feelings about these pictures… and they didn’t hold back!
1. Some people just posted a side-eye gif.
Facebook
2. Others went in a different direction…
Facebook
Many more commenters got creative with the photo editing software themselves, just for fun:
3. Side-Eye Chloe Has Met Her Match.
Facebook
4. Never Fear, Thumb Man Is Here!
Facebook
5. We Knew We’d Seen This Family Somewhere.
Facebook
6. There’s A “Seinfeld” Episode For Everything!
Facebook
7. Nailed It!
Facebook
8. We Knew He Looked Familiar.
Facebook
9. Dwight Schrute Approves Of Their New Look.
Facebook
10. That Pam Is Such A Doll!
Facebook
11. Crying Jordan Approves.
Facebook
12. Some Brands Are Even Getting In On The Joke.
Facebook
While we’d hate to be the photographer whose work is getting lampooned all over the world, we can’t say we’re not enjoying the hilarious reactions people are having. And if there’s a silver lining for the photog, it’s summed perfectly with by this comment by Pam and Dave’s good friend, Mandy Nappier-Alley:
“I have to say that the one thing I am taking away from this whole crazy ordeal is that it’s amazing how something as simple as a post of an epic family photo shoot fail has brought the entire world together to share in a much needed laugh. Times are stressful and life is hectic and busy for most people. I have received messages from what has to be thousands of people at this point saying how they have never laughed so hard and how they needed this humor. The world needed a good laugh and to come together. Even if for a moment. Even if it’s at Pam’s expense..(sorry Pam
Thanks for the laughs, Pam and Dave! Don’t forget to share this story to make someone you know smile today too!
Want to be happier in just 5 minutes a day? Sign up for Morning Smile and join over 455,000+ people who start each day with good news.