Before & After - How I Edit

If you’re on lockdown or working from home and experiencing cabin fever, I got you! For about 2 mins (reading time) I’m here to entertain in this contain - ment period... ... ...

In this blog, I’m going to show you some before and after photos from a recent fashion campaign and I’ll go over my super simple editing routine.

First off, the reason it is super simple is because I try to get it all correct in camera (while photographing) as much as possible to eliminate hours or even full days spent at the computer. Doing so also forces me to learn new things and it sharpens my skillset as a photographer.

LIGHTROOM

I use Lightroom to cull (shortlist) my photos by using the ‘star’ feature. I ‘5 star’ my favorites and leave the rest. I then go in for a second culling, a third, and sometimes even a fourth before I have my final set of images. I honestly think this is the hardest part of my job!

Then I go in and do minimal editing. I adjust the shadows, highlights, blacks, whites, saturation, contrast, and exposure sliders. I use the crop tool to cut out unnecessary space and to straighten any lines. I will then sharpen each image a little bit (not a lot baby girl just a little bit).

Before After Before After

PHOTOSHOP

I only like to use Photoshop for bigger edits or something that calls for more attention. Such as when someone requests to “remove that pimple I grew overnight for today of all days!!”

That’s it for now. I know it can be difficult to be forced into self-isolation, but let's look on the positive side – there is so much time to do all the things you’ve been putting off!

For me, I’m going to read more, listen to podcasts, learn more about business, learn something new photography related, learn something new non photography related (graphic design), and give myself a daily dose of yoga and meditation.

Stay safe, curious, kind, and most importantly stay inside!

Simona x