Post Production | Over the Top

// Post Production

LThienes_FEB13_TeaserBIG

There is a euphoric feeling when you know it. You’ve found the perfect light, the most gorgeous couple, and all the evidence points toward the fact that you have just shot your next portfolio image. It is easy to think about just ending the photo shoot then and there so you can rush back to get all the images loaded onto the computer. You are impatient and ready to see the results now. I know, I have been guilty of exactly that and have forced myself on more than one occasion to exercise restraint. They do say however, that patience is a virtue, and for good reason. Emotional attachment to one’s own images gets in the way of objective thinking, and you will undoubtedly at times be connected to an image that quite possibly was just average at best. Slow down to make sure you really do have that groundbreaking image, and with that groundbreaking image, see what you can do with some creative Photoshop to really take it over the top.

In my early days as a photographer, I bride told me in a pre-wedding consultation that they wanted images they could order as large wall portraits that would cause people to look twice at them, thinking
that it was a gorgeous piece of art, then realizing the couple was in fact them in the image. On their wedding day, I set out to find an environment that would lend itself to the creation of such images. The challenge has stuck with me to this day, really shaping my vision, and likely my obsession with making environmental portraits with a 14mm. Some of the best images include a bride and groom that take up just a small percentage of the frame…and it is these images that have some of the most depth for editing in Photoshop.

Get the full story

To read the full article, launch the digital version of the February 2013 magazine.

You might also like:

Leave a Reply

Want more content like this?

Check out our recent posts

yt thumbnail how to mix flash and ambient light

How to Mix Flash and Ambient Light

Attention all you “natural light” photographers, now is the time to expand your photographic skill set by adding flash photography to your tool kit.

It’s not difficult. With a few rounds of experimentation your photography will elevate itself to new levels and your work will stand out. These photography lighting tips will work for all genres of photography – wedding photography, portrait photography, senior photography, fashion photography, boudoir photography and more.

In this step-by-step flash lighting tutorial I will explain techniques like dragging the shutter and how you can use that technique to allow more ambient light into your portraits and add more depth to any shot.

Read More »