Since the world of photography went digital, the image manipulation and retouching tool of choice has been Adobe’s ubiquitous Photoshop.
A lot of my clients mention the phrase airbrushing, which is a throwback to the days of film when prints were retouched using an artist’s airbrush. Now it is all achieved via Photoshop and a mouse.
Photoshopped Wedding Photograph, Before and After
Less is More
Photoshop is a really useful and sophisticated app, but when it comes to wedding photography it’s very easy to over-do. Over ‘Photoshopping’ can look fake and skin can look ‘plastic’. There’s a big difference between removing the occasional spot and softening a wrinkle and, at the other extreme, making the skin look like that of a Barbie doll.
I love the line by the writer Clive James, “you can’t remove the signs of age without destroying the signs of life”. He was referring to cosmetic surgery, but the sentiment is just as applicable to retouching.
Retouching is like make-up; less is often more. Just because the tools are there it doesn’t mean they all have to come out of the toolbox.
I find that I rarely need to retouch the bride’s skin (although I have often removed a groom’s shaving rash!). Most of the work I do with Photoshop will involve removing fire exit signs, a footprint from the bride’s dress or, as is the case with the image shown, cleaning up a messy path and removing a children’s playground from the background.
Guest post by Lloyd Dobbie
Images from Lloyd Dobbie
