I’ve been asked this question by some bride and groom who are not afraid to speak their minds, while it usually doesn’t come up as a topic for most others. In reality, a lot of efforts go into post processing before you get the final prints in hand. When you buy your prints from us, it’s a very different experience compared to taking the straight-from-the-camera pictures to be printed by Costco or Walgreen at $0.19 per picture.
We work with the latest photographic equipment to capture your special moments, but sometimes these images can be made better through additional post processing. The camera and the lighting systems are tools to help us capture the moment to the best of our ability, whether it’s a fast action sequence or dimly-lite environment. But in addition, aspects such as the white balance (color) and the exposure can be manipulated to enhance the final image.
The standard post processing is getting the color and exposure balanced. See the first 2 pictures below, one is straight out of the camera and the 2nd is after color and exposure compensation. The first picture showed cooler lighting because they were in the shade. It was an overcast day that made the scene somewhat gloomy. In the second picture, I adjusted the white balance to be much warmer, as if the late afternoon sun was providing the primary lighting. It made the subject (groom and the horse) pop because of the sharp contrast in color against the background. The prints we deliver to you will always be color and exposure compensated.
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After that, we get to have some fun! I like to add some creative processing when I feel it could enhance the image. For this particular image, I wanted to create a very strong contrast between the groom and the background. Also, the grounds at the bottom of the picture was a visual distraction. So… I burned (darkened) the grounds and selectively burned the background trees. The sharp contrast between the bright leaves and the darker shadows of the background gave the effect the groom and the horse were floating in a sea of greens. This type of artistic effects may not be for everyone, so we always provide you both the standard version (color and exposure compensated) as well as the artistic version (if one had been created).
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As a final step, we work with nationally renowned photo labs to deliver your final products. We do our part to ensure our monitors are calibrated to the color standards, and they do their part to ensure the prints coming out on their ends also meet those same standards. (Your neighborhood photo developer may or may not adhere to these standards, either intentionally or due to lack of calibration) This ensures there’s consistency between what we envisioned when we processed your images and the final products delivered to your hands.
In the next few posts, I’ll share with you some of our favorite post processing techniques!
by jay
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