Agile Images Digital Post Processing: One Image, Unlimted Options

Today, almost everyone has a nice digital camera at home. Some people even have have top end digital cameras that cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. As a professional photographer, I pride myself on making my images unique. One of the ways I do this is through some careful and creative post processing. So much of photography is focused on what happens WHEN you click the shutter, that few people realize that the real work begins when you OPEN the digital files. People often ask me, "How long can it take to process a digital photograph? Isn't it just a matter of dumping them from your camera to the computer?".

NO!

I wanted to share some behind the scenes work with you so that you understand the difference between a "snapshot" and an Agile Images "photograph". When you book a portrait session with me, you aren't only buying my time at the shoot, you're buying my time to make your images unique.

Here is a series of images that I processed from a recent shoot with my daughter in her prom dress. The first image is literally out of the camera and imported to my computer. Notice that it looks "fine" and all of the ingredients are in place for a good photograph. Its in focus, its of a pretty girl, and it is generally "nice". I used a Nikon D300 and a Nikkor 17-55 f2.8 lens to get this shot, one of the highest quality combinations on the market. But even with high quality equipment, it isn't PERFECT. If you were happy with this, you could print it out and be done with it and it would make a very good photo.

I however am not content with this, and frankly, my daughter isn't either. "Make me look like a supermodel, Dad", she tells me when we're done! Here are 3 of the processed images that I've created using various post processing techniques. I hope they give you some insight into the different looks that I can create using one single image. The possibilities are endless, but I like to keep it simple. Here we go . . .

The first is what I call "Natural". I left the skin tones as natural as possible, added a little pop to the lips, cleaned up a few slight blemishes and added some snap to her eyes. Its prettier than the original and is more "polished" and ready for print.

Next is what I call "Wash Out". I made her skin look powdery smooth, and really blew out the highlights so that everything is very "bright". I think it really enhances how her green eyes and the green dress compliment each other. It is a less natural look, but I consider it more "glamorous" than the Natural version.



Next is the Black & White Wash. This is just a black and white version of the Wash Out technique. It is a classic black & white where the whites are slightly over exposed for a very smooth look. This will look great in a big black frame with a bright white matte.


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