Political Tans. To Spray or Not to Spray?

My apologies to all those who will be offended by this post but this is all just for fun. How often in these tense times do we get to focus on something as inconsequential as Presidential tan lines.

It seems like ages ago that this photo went viral after a Presidential tweet. But, actually, it was just earlier this week that this image was posted and then made viral by a Presidential response.

A copy of this image was tweeted by Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump with the following message: "Fake news. This was photoshopped, obviously, but the wind was strong and the hair looks good? Anything to demean!"

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So the question of the day is whether the photo was altered, or this just a film or camera adjustment issue?  Judge for yourself. Here is a second image taken about the same time by another photographer.

My personal opinion is that this is a contrast adjustment, a difference between cameras, or maybe what photographers call a White Balance adjustment and nothing more. Was it contrasted up to overemphasize the color difference? Perhaps so. What do you think?

In any event, it is certainly not altered as dramatically as the image below. The second image is definitely altered using a photo editing program. Inspired, perhaps, by Dustin Hoffman's portrayal of Tootsie in the film by the  same  name?

The President's tweet about the image was pretty mild by Trumpian standards. It did not call for punishing the photographer and did not insult the photographer. Perhaps, he is comfortable with his spray tan and with everyone knowing about it.

And, maybe tans will become de rigueur for future Presidents. Apparently, though, tan quality is not an advantage in a Presidential election as the two images below show. Clearly, Senator Romney sports the better tan.

But, perhaps the most pressing tan issue at the moment following Bernie Sanders plurality in New Hampshire, is whether the Vermont Senator will up his tan game if he gets the Democratic nomination. And, yes, this is obviously photo edited.

From a historical perspective, no Presidential tan can match the permanent tan Roman emperors achieved when they minted gold coins in their image. Could this be the look the President is going for?

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