Portrait Photography, Beautification, and Post Production Editing

With the advent of digital photography and editing software, it is now easier to enhance your photos than it was back in the days of film.  Back then, if you had some temporary blemishes, it would take a lot of work for the photographer to fix those.  It might have been better to postpone the session.  Now, with photo editing software, it's relatively easy, although still takes some time.  However, a lot more can be done to make an average photo look like something from a fashion magazine, while still looking like yourself - well, yourself with a professional make-up job, proper lighting, and posing.

If you've fantasized about looking like a top model, now you can.  How much of that look you may want, if at all, is up to you.  Everyone is different, but whatever you want from your photo session, it's nice to know you can have it.  Keep in mind that makeup and lighting are used to highlight your best features or hide your worst ones.  It's not done to make you look like someone else, although it can.

As with everything in life, editing can be overdone to the point where you no longer look like you.  You could end up looking like a mannequin if the editing is not done right.  Just very slight changes to the original can improve photos, but too much can have the opposite effect.  See if you agree in the photos below and which you might prefer.

Original - saw these two lovely young women walking along at Venice Beach, asked them if I could take some photos, they said yes, and here they are.

Enhanced - very slightly

Original

 Enhanced

Original 

Enhanced

Original 

Enhanced Slightly

 Enhanced a little stronger

Original

Enhanced with PortraitPro and fixed in Photoshop

Crop of the enhanced photo - lighting was window lighting just before sunset

And this one is the same one as the one above it, but was purposefully overdone to show what too much can look like.

Original. 

Enhanced.

What can be done in post processing?  Almost anything.  Makeup can be added, skin can be smoothed, lighting can be changed, eyes can be opened more, blemishes removed, etc.  The variations are close to infinite.  However, to get the best results for a professional portrait session, you need a professional photographer who understands lighting, posing, and who knows what you should wear.  You also need your makeup done right for the photo session and be well rested.  But for everyday photos, it's still good to know about proper lighting and how to edit to get the best results.  After all, you still want to look your best, no?

There are those who prefer not to wear makeup for a photo shoot, to not have any post processing done to their images, to look more natural.  However, the posing and lighting are still going to be manipulated to some degree, so why do that and then not follow through to look your best?  I believe how you look and how you present yourself in your portraits can make a world of difference.  It can make you feel more positive about yourself and empowered when you realize how beautiful you are.  A beautiful, well done portrait of someone can totally change how they feel about themselves.  There are two kinds of photography for people - the one where you look like a million bucks, and then the everyday family snapshots.  Both are important.  I wish this technology had been around 30 years ago.  Why?  Here are two images from the same negative of my mother - one is straight out of the camera (that's all that was available back then to me), and one is of the same image using today's editing technology.  I have no doubt my Mom would have loved the updated copy.  These were taken around 1970.

Straight out of camera (Nikon FTn with color film) - minimal makeup

Same photo edited for lighting and makeup

Note:  I took this post down briefly to add this last section to show why I believe photos should definitely help you look your best.  Hopefully, if that is what you want, that is what you would get from a photo session.