Before & After

I wanted to share some Before=(straight out of camera) & After=(TLC from Aperture & Photoshop) images. I am asked why print prices are the way they are. Before digital, photographers would drop off their film, pick it up show proofs and order prints. Now, I edit through hundreds sometimes thousands of images from a session or wedding down to a manageable number. Then from those the client will choose their favorites or I will design a wedding book. With digital, I am the photographer, color corrector, photo lab, and book designer.

One of the differences between professional photographers, and amateurs or hobbyists, is the presentation and finishing of the photographs. Images shown straight out of the camera may be fine for proofs, but for prints and albums and any final presentation, we like to "massage" our images and give them some TLC in Photoshop.

I use Aperture & Photoshop to enhance the images, not to really make the images. It should add to the image, and never get to the point where it takes away from it. Effects that are applied just for the sake of applying them, are useless to me.

I use Aperture for most of my "massaging" and use Photoshop about 10% of the time if I want to add a little extra to an image or change it to black & white.

Here are a few examples:

This first image of one of my gorgeous senior clients from this year, is SOTC "Straight Out of The Camera". If you look at it by itself, it's not half bad. The light is great, it's a good exposure, good angle, and it is certainly acceptable...

The above shot is nice but we can improve on it a little. A little color correction, contrast bump, little glow to the skin and some sharpening with a little vignette.

SOTC:

Little color correction, contrast, lighten a little to bring out the eyes more, Sharpen.

SOTC:

Color correction, contrast, my black & white action in photoshop, sharpen, vignette.

SOTC:

Color correction, contrast, my special TLC in Aperture, TRA (Totally Rad Actions) grunge rock 20% in Photoshop, sharpen.