Randy Cassingham's Blog

Posted by Stephen, UK on January 8, 2008:

As any decent photographer should be able to tell you, a professional photo will always show a person to their best advantage (unless the customer specifically demands something else). Lighting, 'air brushing' (or its digital equivalent), make up, framing, filters, proper white-balance etc. are all used by the professional to enhance the look of the subject. That is what you are paying for when you get a professional photograph, it's not what you get from a police mug shot.

In the cheesecake shot she is lit from several different angles using defuse light so there are no shadows. The image also looks to have been softened and almost certainly any blemishes will have been edited out. In the mug shot she is lit from a single harsh source (probably an unfiltered flash) from in front and above, the worst possible angle, and obviously won't have been edited in any way. Additionally the cheescake shot seems to have either been shot on medium to low speed film (probably medium format) or a very high end digital and post processed to give a more film effect whilst the mug shot seems to have either been shot on very fast film or (more likely these days) a cheap digital camera, it's very grainy.

I suspect that anyone shot under the conditions and in the manner that mugshot was taken would look awful.

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Not that awful! -rc

Posted by Natacha, Suffolk, England on January 8, 2008:

There is hope for ALL the women out there to make it to Miss Universe at this rate....

Posted by Brent, Elkhart, IN on January 8, 2008:

Actually, as a photographer, I'm not surprised. Between makeup, careful lighting and posing, and now Photoshop, all that matters for being a model is good bone structure - and that has been true for years. I recall meeting my first Playboy centerfold in 1975, and wondering why anyone thought she was anything special.

Posted by jackie, Lawndale, Calif. on January 8, 2008:

Your warning on beverages was well merited and I am glad I took it to heart. Only meth could have done this much damage in so short a time: the coarsening and pitting of the facial skin, the open sores...it is distinctive and clinically diagnostic. That her teeth are not in view is for the best. These two photos could serve as a powerful, wordless anti-drug campaign. Who would consider risking even the possibility of ending up like this?

Posted by Robert, Wilmington NC on January 8, 2008:

I'm willing to lay odds that she got hooked on crystal meth.

If so, then a simple before-and-after poster might be an effective anti-drug tool (can't be worse than current government efforts, not that that is saying much...)

Posted by Alice, Odessa, Ukraine on January 8, 2008:

Looks are to be expected.

Any girl will confirm that after a few days without access to bathroom, old makeup will turn one into monstrosity incarnate. I imagine that a shock of unexpected punishment is adding to that.

Mind, that I use unexpected intentionally. Children and teenagers, who enjoy a certain amount of clout (aka, popularity) among their peers, often have pretty skewered idea about the extent of their rights and protections. That fact is old news, really, but badly addressed nonetheless.

In my opinion, that problem roots in the simple issue of "power without responsibility", aka bad understanding of balances and checks, that keep the society from anarchy, when applied on personal basis.

Or, putting it simply - they who do enjoy an edge above their peers, more often then not fail to understand that using that edge aggressively will only work to a certain limit, after which resistance will come not from offended person, but from whole society. To be honest, I've run afoul of similar problem when I was younger (having enjoyed both the benefits of being smarter than average and stronger then average). Luckily for me, I've learned not to step over limits on others' mistakes, not my own.

...Frankly, I`m not even sure as to what can be offered as a stable solution to this. Of course, jail time for abduction and assault will serve as good enough warn-off for that one case, but, hrm, it would be quite more beneficial to curb the tendencies at earlier stages.

If only that issue wouldn't be quite often tied to personal wealth of parents, kids could be taught to use their clout for more constructive tasks by mandatorily assigning them additional duties, which would tax their abilities more. Alas, I fail to suggest as to what kind of task could be offered to someone enjoying popularity by proxy wealth.

Posted by Clifton; Phoenix, AZ on January 8, 2008:

This article (the full one) had bounced around on our Phoenix newspaper's website for several days as more details of the story came out (Tucson is just a couple of hours south of us). There are more details in the story which would lead you to believe she had developed a meth habit: for example, a neighbor mentioned how much weight she'd lost in the past few months, and that she would occasionally lie face-down on the pavement in the parking lot for no reason. I don't think this is just a case of an unflattering mugshot.

Posted by Linda, Tucson on January 8, 2008:

Her attorney, a lawyer from Michigan (he'll need special permission to work on her case since he's not recognized by the AZ Bar), says that her main problem is that she gets involved with the "wrong men".

Huh. Going all the way to Michigan to find an attorney? Pretty good hunch on that "wrong men" theory.

Posted by Barbara in Utah on January 8, 2008:

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but that mug shot would fill a book. A big one. The sheet thing looks like it's covering a straight jacket and she looks distraught enough to be wearing one. I agree with others that it's surprising she actually won a beauty contest. The facial features, especially her nose and shoulders in her pinup shot, look very androgynous even allowing for professional photography.

That there were 3 men involved with the abduction begs the question what led up to this and it's gotta be more than your standard woman scorned schtick even allowing for the major damage any kind of street drug does to an addict's appearance. Meth by all accounts being the worst. When I read the blurb next to the picture (yesterday) I wondered what her ex-boyfriend did to bring on what she did to him. However, I don't think the entire story has been told yet. I'd really like to know what led up to this.

I get the feeling Kumari Fulbright was starring in her very own action filled fantasy drama as a leather clad fighter chick out to right the wrongs done to her. She was convincing enough to get 3 guys to buy into her fantasy, perhaps as Sidekick, Wizard and Elf. The Phoenix Police have popped her bubble, and the ex-boyfriend is lucky to be alive.

Posted by John, Georgia on January 10, 2008:

What a difference her choice in hairdressers makes. I think she should consider going back to the first one.