I was looking around the reviews for various girls, and I noticed that for a lot of them, esp the agency ones, their faces are blurred out or cropped out of the picture.  I figured it was either to A: keep their anonymity, or B: make it easier for the agency to send someone other than the girl pictured.  Is there a more professional reason for that though?

And I also noticed that a lot of the asian escort agencies post pics of girls from Japanese photobooks who I'm pretty sure haven't all moved here to become escorts.  Kind of makes me distrustful of agencies...that's why i'm leaning towards an independent...  (I've attached a link if you don't know what a J-book is...they're pretty much a sort of Japanese Playboy.  Kind of.)

each have different ones.  Some for anonymity, some agencies for bait and switch and some because maybe they are just not the greatest looking by society standards.

I have taken the plunge and seen girls with blurred photos, usually you know right away why. lol  Even with photos, many are old and not accurate, so you just never know what a girl may look like until you meet them.  You may find yourself missing out on a great personality, that for some, can outweigh any model looks anyday.

you have to remember, the women we know, love, and about whom we fantisize, are real people, with real lives, friends, family, and often kids.  It is up to the lady, whether indie or agency, to decide how much of her she wishes to reveal on the web.

As to option B in your question, yes there are plenty of low end, scumbag agencies that play this game.  This is where the information on TER comes in.  A quality agency, one that has several well reviewed ladies is unlkely to do this.  They understand that money can be made while establishing and protecting a good reputation.

Let's say you were involved in a business that is technically illegal in all 50 states and where some people are prosecuted and jailed for engaging in the business. How willing would you be to post pictures of yourself on the internet soliciting that business?

I'm probably more surprised by the women who do post their faces than the ones who don't. I appreciate it when women keep their photos recent and include their lovely faces but I do question the sense of it.

The problem is that the woman is trying to sell you a fantasy and it is easier if it comes with a pretty picture (whether real or recent or not) than with just our imaginations.