Retouching

Amazing things can happen in the digital darkroom - Where Science and Art
come together

"Getting it right in the camera" is always the goal. However, sometimes this is impossible. This is where skill and talents in the digital darkroom really pay off.

The photo set shown here truly shows that capability. It's necessary to have the skill to take the retouching process to the next level beyond color, contrast, and skin softening. 

Examine the two images closely. This client wanted their daughter to be completely alone during her Bat Mtizvah reading the Torah (Hebrew Scroll of the Old Testament). In this case, the desire required going beyond just a tight cropping of the original image.

The mother had to be removed from the image as well as the tutor's hands on the left and the Rabbi's shoulder and hands on the right. Then the real work began, rebuilding of the curve of the scrolls of the Torah as well as reconstructing the background.

A significant amount of time was invested in this one image, but the results were priceless!

Even the Most Beautiful of Couples Can Use Some Help

The beauty of today's digital imaging technology is that the camera can truly capture everything. The challenge is that the camera can truly capture EVERYTHING!

The ability to provide professional retouching services is one area that helps my service stand out over others in similar price ranges. 

Though this beautiful mother doesn't really need to be retouched, when we process her image the changes are subtle, but amazing. Her reaction was "so that's how they do it in Hollywood". Though this is done in North Carolina, the results have a tremendous impact.

The Key to Affective Retouching Is Being Subtle, No Matter the
Ages of the Subjects

Even for those of us who could us a bit more retouching in our portraits, the key to success is
"Less is More". I believe this is truly shown from this wonderful couple from Farmville, NC  as I make the obvious love and affection they have fore each other shine where they look their very best!

The primary areas of retouching were:

• The wrinkles under the husband's eyes. Notice I didn't go to far in removing the crows feet because I felt that would have been artificial (though if the client requested I could easily have removed them as well).
• Brightening of the wife's eyes as well as both of their teeth
• Bringing out the color of the wife's lips
• General smoothing of the skin tones including the slight reduction of the freckles without completely removing them

Original

Retouched

Sometimes Retouching Needs to Be More Aggressive

Life sometimes causes the need for more aggressive retouching depending on the client's requirements. Some cases you want to allow for wrinkles and age lines to tell a story. However in other cases the client enjoys having some photographic "magic" done to bring back old memories.

In this case this beautiful woman truly enjoyed having 10 - 15 years shed, if even done just through the photography.

Original

Retouched