30 January 2010

I don't airbrush my work

I am often asked if I airbrush (ie Photoshop) my work.  My answer is always a simple no.

It's not quite so simple though, because I do do things with the photos I take.  What you see as the end result often looks quite different to the image you saw on the camera display.

I have a process through which I take the RAW image file from the camera and adjust things like exposure, colour balance, contrast, saturation, and sharpness.    I've also got another process that softens the skin just a little to make selected portraits more flattering.

I also love playing with the overall look of an image and I have another process that simulates the look from films of old, which is particularly fun and interesting to use for black and white images.

What else do I do?  I'll edit out the occasional speck of dust that creeps onto the sensor, and I'll crop.  I'm never afraid to crop images.

Basically though that's all I do.  I won't airbrush out your wrinkles to make you look younger, or elongate your body to make you look slimmer.  I don't do that stuff now, and frankly I never will.  What I will do is to capture the real you, your character, warts and lines and all.

Take a flick through my portfolio pages, and the photos here on the blog.  None of them have been airbrushed.

Occasionally a client does do a little more editing with my finished image.  I've known a few who've airbrushed out the background so it's all one colour and works better with the design the image is to be used with.

1 comment:

Lesley-Anne Hornbogen said...

Which just goes to show what a good photographer you are Mikey. I've said it before and I'll say it again - the two photographic sessions I have done with you have been quick and spot on i.e. meaning I am happy with the outcome. In the days when I used to model (we're going back some 30 odd years now) I was never happy with the outcome and airbrushing would have been a bonus!