Meth, the Skin, and photography

I’ve done model shoots before where it was clear that the model had been using meth—not during the shoot itself, but you could tell they were struggling with addiction. Sometimes, it didn’t even register until I was deep into editing. Meth leaves this awful effect on the skin tone—an unhealthy, blackish-green tint that makes the skin look sickly and dark in the worst way, like a thin layer of death stretching across the surface. It’s subtle but unmistakable, and it demands far more time in post-processing to fix.

Correcting it isn’t easy, but it’s not impossible. You can’t just slap on a standard skin tone or color overlay—it’ll end up looking unnatural, often too red or uneven. Instead, it requires delicate, intricate techniques: layering, blending, and balancing different combinations to achieve a realistic, healthy look. The challenge is that every shoot is different—lighting, environment, and the overall vibe of the set all play a part, making it a unique puzzle every time. Fixing this in post is a chore and takes time I’d much rather spend on creative edits.

Sadly, I’ve noticed more and more models turning to meth. It’s cheaper than cocaine and helps with weight loss, but the cost to their health and appearance is immense. I’m not here to judge—people make their own choices—but I can’t deny how frustrating it is when I have to spend hours editing skin tones back to normal.

These days, I don’t do much model photography anymore. The exceptions are a handful of women I know and trust—beautiful, confident, and thankfully free of that kind of baggage. At least with them, I can focus on creativity rather than damage control.