San Diego portrait photographer | Sylvia Borgo {BLOG}

So, what exactly do I do to your pictures? #2 | San Diego Senior Photographer

Thursday, May 5, 2011 Posted in Client Information, Post Processing

A few months ago, I talked about my workflow from start to finish. Click HERE to see that blog post. In that post, I discussed some photoshop techniques that are part of my workflow, that make my images pop!

Below I show you a “before and after” comparison of one of my favorite images. And I’ll explain how I post-processed the image. But before that, I’d like to add that having a great camera, quality lesnses, and photoshop will NOT produce a great image. What will produce a great image is making the person or family that is being photographed feel like themselves and behave like themselves so that the images are truly representative of who they are, their relationship to one another, the moment. I really love getting to know the kids and families that I photograph before, during, and after the photo shoot!

Here is the “before and after” comparison:

So, as you can see, I didn’t process this image too radically – I wanted to remain earthy and organic to suit the natural beauty of S. and her surroundings. I started off with a little bit of cloning. Can you spot what is missing in the “after” shot? See it? See it? Yup! I cloned out the little irrigation tube! If I have to clone/remove objects in an image, I will do that first! Secondly, since this image is backlit, I brightened S. up, especially her face. I love how skin tones turn out so wonderfully with backlit images!! Then I added contrast to the picture to get rid of a little haze. I punched up the color by saturating and that is it!

Oh, and before I forget, I had to do a little bit of processing to this image because I shoot in RAW mode – a camera mode that carries more information/bits so that an image has more “color information.” The client’s final image quality is higher. However, a RAW image comes out of the camera looking bland – it needs processing before it can be turned into a jpeg that will print out beautifully.

I’ll have more “before and after” posts coming up in the next few weeks, so come back if you like this feature! ’Til next time.

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13 comments

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Michelle HebertMay 6, 2011 - 8:49 am

Beautiful Lighting Sylvia!
Thanks for sharing your tips!

Kel WardMay 6, 2011 - 9:00 am

Thanks for sharing your techniques! I admire your work a lot.

AudreyMay 6, 2011 - 10:35 am

I love the back lighting in this one. Thanks for sharing how you edited it!

ashleyMay 6, 2011 - 11:16 am

Gorgeous backlight in the shot and great process. You are so talented:)

Krissy AlloriMay 6, 2011 - 11:22 am

Beautiful shot and gorgeous editing. Love how you know when less is more. Also love how you cloned out the hose. What a difference it makes!

Ginette SundinMay 6, 2011 - 3:23 pm

What a fun idea for a post! (beautiful pic of a beautiful girl too!)

s h e r r yMay 6, 2011 - 8:07 pm

Great post! Thanks for sharing!

Danielle FrankMay 9, 2011 - 3:12 pm

Beautiful girl and lovely editing!

GailMay 9, 2011 - 6:31 pm

BEAUTIFUL image Sylvia! Incredible light and LOVE the after! You are one incredibly talented photographer!!!

amyMay 11, 2011 - 7:09 pm

thanks for sharing…subtle changes but makes a difference!! amazing image!

natalie lawsonMay 13, 2011 - 5:37 am

you got skills girl! it’s always a good reminder that it’s not just the work at the photoshoot, but what happens after… your talent is endless!

So | San Diego portrait photographer | Sylvia Borgo {BLOG}May 20, 2011 - 12:01 am

[...] A few months ago, I posted the steps necessary for a photo shoot from start to finish, from the first email communication, to the packaging of the final produce. CLICK HERE to review that information. And, a couple of weeks ago, I shared how I post process a backlit image. If you missed that post, you can CLICK HERE [...]

So, what exactly do I do to your pictures? #3 | San Diego Child and Family Photographer | San Diego portrait photographer | Sylvia Borgo {BLOG}May 20, 2011 - 12:07 am

[...] A few months ago, I posted the steps necessary for a photo shoot from start to finish, from the first email communication, to the packaging of the final produce. CLICK HERE to review that information. And, a couple of weeks ago, I shared how I post process a backlit image. If you missed that post, you can CLICK HERE [...]