I’m sitting here looking at these two pics with my mouth open. Are they really the same girl? Or did (as shown in the pic on the right) some stringy-haired, haggish, droopy-titted, midriff-bulged Mary Carey imposter show up on the steps of City Hall and gather signatures for Ms. Carey's petition to be nominated for California Governor on the upcoming ballot?

You see, I’m a professional videographer and photographer. I’ve been shooting cameras since I was about 12-years-old when my father bought me my first 35mm SLR camera: a Yashica.

A year later, I shot stills of the New York Worlds Fair that went on exhibition in Europe. And since then, I’ve shot thousands and thousands of images. I used to shoot portfolios for mainstream actors. I did some fashion photography. I’ve been employed as both a video cameraman and a still photographer many, many times before I ever entered the porn biz. So I humbly submit to you that I might know just a little about this kind of stuff.

I understand that the pic on the left was professionally shot with pro lighting and with a makeup artist applying some magic to Mary’s face; I figure the shot was then touched-up in Photoshop. I also understand the shot on the right was snapped by a news photographer grabbing a quick, candid photo under lousy lighting conditions (Mary is facing the sun), without professional makeup, and with no touch-up performed after the fact. But I still am having a hard time seeing these two images as being the same girl!

Now I want to know: which shot most accurately conveys the beauty, or lack thereof, of Mary Carey? This might be one of those questions that’s similar (but in a reverse sort of way) to either to that old Clairol TV commercial that says, “Only her hairdresser knows for sure,” or possibly the Memorex slogan, “Is it real, or is it Memorex.”

Someone help me out here.



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