The art is created when I am taking a picture. However, when I get back to my home studio, I enhance the art I create by editing it. In this blog post, I will share my process!

Adding flair to photos


After the event or session, I will start editing and retouching all of the pictures to achieve the highest quality possible!

Culling: finding the best shots


Sorting out all of the meaningful photographs captured and selecting only the best images!


The culling & editing process is essentially going through all of the pictures and removing those shots that the client doesn't need (e.g. repetitive/duplicate images, someone blinking, distracting element, unpleasant moments, miss-focus, etc.).

Retouching: making the adjustments


Once all of the pictures are sorted out and edited, I will start with the adjustments and corrections. I use Adobe Lightroom Classic most of the time, but will occasionally use other apps such as Photoshop, Affinity Photo, NX Studio, and a few others.


For color accuracy, I keep my monitor calibrated.

#1 - COLOR CORRECTIONS & GRADING


Adjusting the white balance (blues vs. yellows, greens vs. purples) to the correct temperature is a very important step to making sure the colors are looking correct (especially skin tones).


Changing hues, saturation, and luminance can also enhance the image to be consistent with my style. Doing additional color grading with my custom-made color presets along also helps my images appear spectacular!

#2 - TONE ADJUSTMENTS


I almost always get the exposure right as I shoot in manual mode, but doing some exposure adjustments (particularly with the highlights and shadows) can really make the photographs aesthetically beautiful!

#3 - CROPPING & STRAIGTENING


If any picture looks visually unbalanced, those pictures will be cropped and/or straightened.

#4 - Fixing Lens Errors


As necessary, I will do my best to fix any errors in the capture process. This includes any of the following:

  • Excessive sensor dust
  • Chromatic aberrations
  • Strange artifacts
  • Wide-angle distortions
  • Corrupted capture data
  • Dark vignettes
  • Anything that distracts from the photograph I captured


This is uncommon since I use state-of-the-art cameras & lenses, but it can still happen. Most of the time these are super easy and quick fixes.

#5 - ENHANCEMENTS


If I find it necessary, I will correct any elements in the image by changing its color (teeth whitening) or removing it (distracting objects). I will sometimes change textures for enhancements as well. Generally, I will only do this for important images or if requested by the client.

PHOTOSHOP: ADVANCED RETOUCHING


On some photos or simple retouch requests (e.g. face swaps or clothing fix), photoshop may be used, however, any photo that the client would like to have special manipulations or enhancements is a separate service. This service can be purchased once the photos are delivered through the online gallery. 


Please note that I try to avoid using Photoshop most of the time as I believe that it can break the photo's authenticity if overused or abused.