Before + After Portraits

Something that I rarely show are Before & After images {mostly because I just don't have time ha} but I know they are fun to view. 

Like most professional photographers I photograph in NEF or Raw format. This allows me to capture as much data as possible in order to have as much control as possible over every element of the image. You most likely photograph in a JPEG format. JPEG is great for every day candid home images. Photographing in JPEG tells your camera that it can choose what data to capture and how to process that data. This is NOT what you hire a professional to use. 

RAW/NEF format is not typically readable/viewable on your computer unless you have specific software intended to process RAW/NEF files. After I have processed every aspect of the image to create a portrait BGP-Style ... I export in JPEG and a wide range of programs can view it. 

I do a lot of composite images in the studio - mostly with swings. They start with my assistant holding the swing while I photograph it. Then we place the swing on a secure base and pose baby. My assistant's hands never leave my littlest clients. 

Later I merge those two or more images together to create my final vision. In the below swing image I then processed baby's skin {red-headed baby's are always on the magenta side and I wanted a warm portrait in the end}, light, highlights, shadows, color balance, add some texture, I added a water reflection just because, and do some chunky brush painting for my painterly style. 

{note that between facebook and blogger the images may look different and/or turn dull as part of those programs compressing the images}

{note that between facebook and blogger the images may look different and/or turn dull as part of those programs compressing the images}

Of course the above image is a more dramatic edit and required a fairly time intensive investment but not all images in a gallery are so dramatically edited.

 {Before} - there were just a few things that needed processing in this image before adding my style to it ... like all raw/nef images they tend to come into camera on the dull side - this is so I can add the color and definition where I want it ... a few threads needed fixed, bonnet shaped a little, blanket fixed, facial blemish reduced, red-headed babies naturally are more blue/magenta skin toned so I warm it up a little. The {after} image yielded a pink toned soft portrait}

{note that between facebook and blogger the images may look different and/or turn dull as part of those programs compressing the images}