Whew, the Onslow Cotillion Christmas Ball Gallery is now ready for viewing and ordering. I am actually a few days ahead of schedule – which is a miracle.
I have done something a little differently this year. Normally, when I shoot a portrait session or wedding, I completely edit the images before the client sees them. My goal is to make the photographs look their absolute best before putting them online. However, Cotillion is a little different. Each year I show quite a few images that are not purchased. So, I decided this year I would save myself a little time and trouble. I have initially edited each image and final retouching will be done after orders are placed. This way, I won’t spend a lot of time on portraits that nobody orders.
Here’s an example:
Image number one is SOOC – that’s photographer talk for straight out of camera. It’s exactly the way I shot it. The exposure isn’t too bad, but it’s a little dark. And obviously my backdrop isn’t big enough. I never allow clients to see my SOOC images. I always laugh when a client says, “I’ve never seen you take a bad picture!” Well, to be honest I have taken at least a kazillion bad pictures. But you’ll never see them 🙂
The portrait labeled number two has been initially edited. I lightened the image slightly and corrected the colors just a tad. It looks better – but still not great.
The last image, number three, has been completely edited. In this image you will notice that I filled in the backdrop around the group, removed the pop (shiny areas) caused by the flash, removed the shadows from the background, removed blemishes and made other necessary corrections. Lastly, I cropped the image and added a slight vignette. You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear (or so my mother always told me), but if you have the right tools and know how to use them, you really can improve the appearance of photographs. Editing an image like this is very time-consuming, so it’s much easier and faster to get it right in camera – which I generally do. Shooting inside on a backdrop with poor lighting makes the job harder – but not impossible.
All of the images in the Cotillion Gallery have been initially edited. Many have been completely retouched. However, there are quite a few that will need additional editing prior to printing. When photographs are ordered, the remaining editing will be completed. I will not deliver prints without fully retouching every image. So don’t worry if a photograph you like shows stools on the side, space above the backdrop, dark shadows on the backdrop . . . all of that will be repaired prior to delivery.
To view the Cotillion Gallery, go to http://www.elisebeall.instaproofs.com and click on Cotillion. There are around 180 pictures in this gallery. All orders during the first week will receive a 10% discount. A 5% discount will be given during the second week. For the remaining two weeks, no discount will be in effect. The gallery will expire on February 14.
If you have questions, just e-mail me at ebeall@ec.rr.com.
Enjoy!
Elise Beall Photography 