20-year-old Lauren Holsten made the decision to have her daughter, Lexi, photographed by the Domingo Portrait Services, but was horrified upon receiving the finished product.
Recalling the moment she saw the results for the first time, Lauren said: "I was really upset and I cried. I’ve never experienced anything like that."
Devastated the studio felt the need to delete a particular feature of her daughter's face, Lauren, who has had her daughter photographed on a number of occasions, explained: "The other company had never asked about it and never offered to airbrush it out. Even if they had I wouldn’t have it done because it wouldn’t look like her."
Demanding an explanation for the decision, the outraged mum approached the gallery but claims she was fobbed off when she attempted to discuss the issue.
According to Lauren, the assistant refused to acknowledge her concerns, recalling: "She basically said she thought it was a ‘cut’ which it quite obviously isn’t. She said they edit all cuts out. She was very rude and didn’t apologise."
Commenting on the case, Domingo Portrait Services said: "We did not know it was a birthmark first of all. We airbrush the pictures. Any customers who don’t want their picture airbrushing, they let us know." (sic)
Justifying their decision to remove Lexi's strawberry naevus mark, they went on to say: "She should have told the photographer it was a birthmark and she didn’t want it airbrushed."
However, it appears Lexi's case has resulted in a change of policy, with the studio now asserting they will consult parents about specific issues before making the decision to alter a child's appearance, saying: "We have already changed our policy. We are going to make sure we ask parent about birthmarks."
Outlining the reason behind her upset, Lauren simply said: ‘It’s like that photography company was saying she’s not perfect and she is just 18 months-old. It needs to change."
Despite changing the policy, the company have been informed they are no longer permitted to operate out of The Forum shopping mall in Kent as they did not meet 'the high standard of customer service' required.
