Advanced Retouching {Portrait Photography Post Production}
A few blog posts back I talked about how we like to improve our skills to create amazing photos. I wanted to take a minute to show you just how much of a difference retouching and a new technique can make. The reason why I want to share this is because a lot of times people really have no idea what goes on in the retouching phase, nor do they really know what their photos look like. I'll be honest, sometimes photos don't turn out their greatest because camera settings were off. We all make mistakes, and even very experienced photographers who know their cameras can mess up a photo by forgetting to change settings, or even sometimes accidentally push a button that changes settings. This is why we shoot in what is known as RAW. The camera saves the photos taken as a RAW file that saves all of the information about the photo allowing us to correct small mistakes in the retouching process.
The photos above are a portrait of myself that were taken last fall. The photo on the left is what came out of the camera as a RAW file. After taking the image and processing it in Photoshop making corrections to the color and exposure, I used a new retouching technique that I learned that allows me to even out skin tones, and allows me to create better looking skin. As you can see from the photo on the left, I had some blemishes going on as well as some large pores. This new retouching technique that I learned has allowed me to even out my skin tone (red areas on my skin), get rid of blemishes and create better looking skin. What is so great about this new technique is that the end result allows me to keep the texture of your skin without making it look blurry or lose the fine details of the skin.
This technique is one that beauty retouchers use for boudoir/beauty photo sessions and for editorial purposes such as models who will appear in magazines. I know there are a lot of people who don't want to look like models, they just want to look like themselves. That's part of the beauty of this technique is that you can use it minimally or you can go all out for a full editorial look. The after photo on the right is what I produced for myself. This edit is not completely to "editorial" standards, but it's a bit more than the minimal retouching using this new technique. Something else I wanted to share is that if you are planning on booking a photographer for a boudoir or beauty photo session, they should know how to perform this technique and they should use it in their retouching process. If the photos in their gallery don't have a lot of detail on the subject's skin showing texture, then they probably don't use this technique. The reason I think it is important for them to use this in their retouching phase is because you should be able to get the most out of your photos. In real life, you have texture to your skin. There is detail there. Your portraits should reflect that while still doing away with blemishes and under eye circles. I just want to make sure that you all take this into consideration before hiring a photographer for a beauty/boudoir photo session. If they do not perform this technique, then it will be a disservice to yourself. Your images will come out better this way, and you really get what you pay for.