The saying that 'the camera never lies' is overstated because it very often does lie.  However if anyone has even a slight blemish it is almost guaranteed that the camera will emphasize it, particularly if the subject is a woman.  There are several good techniques for removing blemishes or even the signs of ageing. For something as simple as a mole or a pimple, the airbrush tool will suffice - with or without a judicious use of copy and paste to maintain skin texture.  For freckles and the signs of ageing the technique will involve a little more consideration but sometimes merely 'softening' the image will often achieve worthwhile results and for most skin blemishes the 'median' filter and gentle use of the 'airbrush' will work well. 

Panorama photographs are so easy with digital images and for me they have presented a host of new opportunities. My present Fuji camera has a built-in facility for creating panoramas and I use it often However I have in the past resorted to multiple shots and crude stiching with excellent results. I'm not always sure how a professional photographer would approach a panorama shot with basic equipment but I have a few guidelines developed from my own experience that seem to work and if possible, I try to adhere to most of them - which to be honest seldom happens...