fix it or leave it real? - DPChallenge Forums

07/08/2008 03:22:21 PM · #1

I'm working on these wedding proofs.

Overall pretty attractive wedding party, except one bridesmaid as well as being very heavy also has an extreme farmer's tan. She is very pale, and the gowns are strapless. So..I have dark tan / orangish forearms and tan face, and white chest and upper arm area.

My instinct says to fix this, but now I'm wondering if that's messing too much with what was actually there, since this is not a model shoot but a person's memory of an important event.

Should I ask the bride about it, or would that possibly be taken as an insult for her friend?

Opinions?

bassbone

Nikon Df

Nikon MF 105mm f/2.5 AIS

07/08/2008 03:24:54 PM · #2

I would ask the bride tactfully "We can fix a few blemishes and smooth out skin tones on a few shots" . Will it be a lot of work to fix them? Maybe, but the bride would probably rather have her 'impression' of the day rather than the reality...and she will likely appreciate the work when looking back on the shots in the future.

Originally posted by jpochard:

digital_knight

07/08/2008 03:29:49 PM · #3

The businessman in me says "just deliver it" and then fix it for an additional cost if requested.

The human in me did this:

I shot a wedding where the brother of the groom had terrible acne - the teenage kind that will be gone in a year or so. I just couldn't stop thinking of how terrible it would be to have a photographic record of that part of my life - so I went through and removed it in every shot. Probably an additional three hours of work or more. They never even noticed - the bride and groom. I was glad then, I'm glad now that I did it.

The golden rule rules! :-)

How's that for straddling the fence on this issue?

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8

07/08/2008 03:30:06 PM · #4

Originally posted by bassbone:

I have gone ahead with most skin effects (cutting back any glare, blemishes, etc.) and honestly, most people would never know the editing is done. However, this is one thing they will KNOW I've edited - changed, really. That's why I was wondering.

cynthiann

Nikon D810

07/08/2008 03:31:38 PM · #5

I agree you should ask the bride. Personally, I would appreciate it, if I were the bridesmaid. It's not like you're 'fixing' a big nose, or anything.

idnic

Canon EOS-60D

07/08/2008 03:33:48 PM · #6

The way I see it, my job is to deliver the finest quality images I can. If the bride has a pimple, I don't ask first before I remove it. If the tan lines are distracting from an otherwise lovely image.... by all means fix it. If there are so many you just don't have time to fix them all, then fix a few and show the bride. Tell her you will make the same corrections to any images she purchases or chooses for her album. Brides appreciate YOUR attention to details like this.

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM

07/08/2008 03:52:06 PM · #7

Okay. I have sent the bride an email asking about a natural looking edit to even out the skin tones. Yes, it will actually add quite a bit of work, but I find it extremely distracting so it's worth it.

I am actually going to keep one of the before shots to use in my portfolio to show how editing like that can improve a shot. :)

LoudDog

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

07/08/2008 03:56:47 PM · #8

give em a couple samples and ask what they like better.

Nusbaum

Fujifilm X-T1

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

07/08/2008 04:04:51 PM · #9

I'm curious how far you go with this? I would clearly do it in the images that will be significant prints or included in an album, but it they want a huge stack of different 4x6 images are you going to edit the images for all of them? Fixing a farmer's tan can be a time consuming process and, depending on your prices, this could be costly to you on prints that generate minimal revenue.

I'm not saying you shouldn't, I'm just curious how far you go with this...

karmat

Apple iPhone 7

Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0L USM

07/08/2008 04:06:50 PM · #10

You could fix one or two, and then offer to fix it on any larger prints (8x10 or bigger). anything smaller than that,especially 4x6 (unless yours are really expensive) probably isn't worth the work involved.

07/08/2008 04:22:05 PM · #11

Originally posted by karmat:

I usually edit on a full size. That way the editing is done prior to any size crop. Occasionally, I'll have to edit for a specific crop to take out something. For something like skin tone or a blemish it's not any more work once it's done, if that makes sense.

Plus, to me, this would be an all or nothing prospect. We're talking about an entire day's events - and I think there should be some consistancy to the shots. The editing would be very evident if I did it in some, but not in others.

Prof_Fate

07/08/2008 04:34:05 PM · #12

Proofs. Proofs are not edited or else they're not, well, proofs anymore. They are just so the client can pick which images they want printed or included in the album. Those images then get edited. How much editing you do is up to you - your artistic conscience, style, business plan, pricing, profitability, etc.

To shoot 1000 images, show 500 and put 40 in an album fully done up is fairly resonable. To expect to shoot 1000 and have 1000 keepers isn't realistic, and neither is it to fully edit all 500 images on spec.

Spec is speculation. As in your speculating the client will buy the edited images, or more images, than if you showed 'rougher' looking proofs. It's a gamble. Will the time you spend fixing the tan lines turn into money in your pocket? If it takes 20 minutes so what, but if it's 3 or 4 hours to do this could you spend that time more profitably by improving your website or making calls to prospects or visiting other wedding vendors to get samples in their stores, etc?

If you want to get $5000 for a wedding then you may find it worthwhile to only ever show fully edited images. But if you spend 20 hours do to that and I spend that same 20 hours shooting another wedding we end up with the same income for the same work, but you get more bragging rights that me cause you charge twice as much. So it comes down to you - where do you want your business to be in 2, 3, or 5 years?

Nusbaum

Fujifilm X-T1

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

07/08/2008 05:20:41 PM · #13

Originally posted by jpochard:

Originally posted by karmat:
You could fix one or two, and then offer to fix it on any larger prints (8x10 or bigger). anything smaller than that,especially 4x6 (unless yours are really expensive) probably isn't worth the work involved.

I usually edit on a full size. That way the editing is done prior to any size crop. Occasionally, I'll have to edit for a specific crop to take out something. For something like skin tone or a blemish it's not any more work once it's done, if that makes sense.

Plus, to me, this would be an all or nothing prospect. We're talking about an entire day's events - and I think there should be some consistancy to the shots. The editing would be very evident if I did it in some, but not in others.

I wasn't suggesting you edit a 4x6 size. I was thinking that if they view the proofs and only want a 4x6 of a specific image you are loosing money unless your 4x6 prices are steep enough to cover the editing time. I could also see not selling any images that haven't been processed. So no advice here, just more questions.

egregious8

Fujifilm FinePix S8000fd

07/15/2008 04:57:32 PM · #14

From a little different POV . . . when I got my wedding shots back--you know 15 or so years ago--I was looking at a picture of me and my best man and couldn't figure out what was wrong with it. I finally figured out that the photographer had touched up the photo and removed the mole on the side of my face with a little post-processing coloring. It almost looked like I was wearing makeup over the mole. Now, the mole isn't exactly a beauty mark but it is part of what I look like. I was a little resentful that the photographer did that without asking. A pimple yes--a butt chin, probably not. I would probably ask and charge them more if I could...or do it for free if it meant referral business...

NVPhoto