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Being a portrait photographer isn't only about taking great photos. There is a lot more that goes on behind the scenes. I shoot in manual exposure and RAW format. The definition of a RAW file from Wikipedia, "A camera raw image file contains minimally processed data from the image sensor of either a digital camera, image scanner, or motion picture film scanner." Most cameras are set in JPG format unless you change the setting. A JPG file is compressed with data or information. This type of file is ready for printing or posting to the web. After my post processing is complete I do change the file format to a JPG file. The reason I work with a RAW file is that I have more flexibility in changing the data over a JPG file. For example if an image is over or under exposed I can make adjustments. Now I strive to shoot for amazing images SOOC (straight out of camera) but there are times when I may be more focused on capturing the moment and miss adjusting my camera correctly. The camera isn't capable of always capturing what you see with your eyes either. So color adjustment is often needed.
Example of RAW file converted to JPG with exposure adjustments.
After uploading images to my computer, I will open them in Adobe Bridge to cull. I discard images that may be out of focus, have a poor composition, or the exposure is not worth saving. Next I compare similar images and choose the best. After this step I will open images in small sets to Camera RAW to adjust my white balance, exposure, etc... After I complete this I then pull images into Photoshop for final editing. I have created my own action in Photoshop for extra adjustments to finalize the color. I use curves, levels, and a warming filter layer on most. There I tweak per individual image as needed. Then if there are any distracting elements such as a power line I will remove it. If it involves a human I may retouch skin such as blemishes, bruises, etc... If I'm preparing the images for an online gallery or social media I will then resize and sharpen the image for web viewing. For final printing I will double check any editing I missed and also prepare the image for print sharpening. So you see all of these steps take a lot of skill and time. I may spend as much as 15 minutes on one image depending on how much needs to go into perfecting it for final viewing.
Final image post processed.
Example of JPG file Example of RAW (SOOC)
Example of RAW file converted to JPG with exposure adjustments.
After uploading images to my computer, I will open them in Adobe Bridge to cull. I discard images that may be out of focus, have a poor composition, or the exposure is not worth saving. Next I compare similar images and choose the best. After this step I will open images in small sets to Camera RAW to adjust my white balance, exposure, etc... After I complete this I then pull images into Photoshop for final editing. I have created my own action in Photoshop for extra adjustments to finalize the color. I use curves, levels, and a warming filter layer on most. There I tweak per individual image as needed. Then if there are any distracting elements such as a power line I will remove it. If it involves a human I may retouch skin such as blemishes, bruises, etc... If I'm preparing the images for an online gallery or social media I will then resize and sharpen the image for web viewing. For final printing I will double check any editing I missed and also prepare the image for print sharpening. So you see all of these steps take a lot of skill and time. I may spend as much as 15 minutes on one image depending on how much needs to go into perfecting it for final viewing.
Final image post processed.
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