Our Editing Process Explained
I get asked a couple of variations of the same question quite a lot before a session gets booked. Instead of a quick "yes," I like to direct clients here so they know exactly what to expect when their final gallery is delivered.
"Do you edit the pictures? Does the quoted session fee include editing, or is that extra?"
The short answer is yes. Every picture I deliver—whether it's a photo shoot, a wedding, or a studio session—will get my Tier 1 Editing. After the delivery, a client may request Tier 2 editing on a select few.
For example, if one specific image from your wedding is going to be printed in a large format for your wall, you might want that picture edited in greater detail. Another common scenario is a maternity session where a client picks 2-3 favorites to post or print. Typically, studio headshots and close-up portraits get the most Tier 2 requests, whereas I rarely get these requests for general event photography like birthdays or wedding receptions.
There are different types of editing. While there is no right or wrong way to label them in the photography industry, I categorize my post-production workflow into two distinct tiers.
Tier 1: Light Touchup
Tier one is the foundational editing applied to your images, usually done in Adobe Lightroom. Because this involves global adjustments, it can sometimes be done in bulk across a sequence of similar photos to ensure a consistent look.
- Contrast & Brightness: Ensuring the image pops and is properly exposed.
- White Balance & Color Tone: Correcting color casts so skin tones and environments look natural and accurate.
- Cropping: Perfecting the composition and framing of the shot.
Examples of Tier 1 Light Touchup:
Tier 2: Detailed Retouching
Tier two is a much more intensive process, primarily done in Adobe Photoshop or specialized editing software. Unlike Tier one, retouching is always done on an individual picture, one at a time. The focus here depends on the type of image captured:
- Close-up Images: For headshots, maternity sessions, or tight portraits, this tier includes detailed work like smoothing skin, fixing stray hair, and removing temporary blemishes.
- Wide & Zoomed-out Images: For expansive environmental portraits, this involves removing distracting people or objects in the background, or cleaning up cracks, dirt, and debris in the foreground.
The goal of Tier two is to eliminate anything that takes unnecessary attention away from the main subject of the image.
Example of Tier 2 Detailed Retouching (Studio Headshot):
