This is such an essential part of any professional photographers workflow but not one that every photographer incorporates into their service. I have so many people telling me the horror stories about how they had their friend’s sister do their Engagement or Wedding photos and how they ended up with a store bought USB of 500 photos that weren’t “edited”. Yikes!!
Can you imagine?? Opening and closing photo after photo of your mouth open, your hubby’s eyes closed, your Mom’s ugly cry face, your first dance that looks like it was shot in the complete darkness.
I could go on and on and on… It’s true – these things happen. Even the most experienced professional photographer doesn’t always get an exposure right the first time. That’s why the images need to be edited!
For most, editing is going to include, cropping, colour correction, sharpening, retouching and adding any creative flair that’s indicative of your style and brand. The “look” you have to your images.
When you’re searching for a Wedding Photographer, be sure to keep this in mind and don’t be afraid to ask. Do you edit your images? How many will you shoot and how many do we get?
This topic leads directly into another important conversation. Price.
Editing takes time. A loooong time if you’ve shot 1500 images at a Wedding. And that’s only ONE wedding. There are companies that offer to edit for you for a price and though that can be a tempting offer, I feel that losing that creativity can also affect the look. For me, I find editing to be just as fun as shooting! The challenging part is the time spent at the computer instead of connecting with more clients or shooting more. It’s a balancing act 🙂
Here’s some samples from a recent winter Engagement session that shows the before and after of my editing process.
