I thought it might be fun to dive into editing today! I have discussed this topic many times before, you can check out these past blog posts: Part 1 is here, Part 2 can be found here, and here is part 3! It’s been a few years since I’ve talked about it, but I edit more than ever these days as my style gets more refined and elegant.
Editing (in my opinion) is as important as shooting, both must be intentional and exceptionally done. While I always look for items in a frame to help with storytelling, it’s also essential to take away items that don’t add to the image. Sometimes I can do that on scene, a lot of times there is no avoiding distractions and I just take it out later.
Whether it’s signage, fire extinguishers, electrical cords, garbage cans, outlets, bandaids, maximum occupancy signs, bruises, wall stains…at any given wedding there are a multitude of things that I am not able to move! All photos get edited, but some get extra attention! I call these the “Elevated Edits.”
Exit signs and fire extinguishers are the top offenders in distracting a viewer’s eye from the emotion in a photo.
I also like to clean up the background and direct the eye to the main event!
In some cases, I remove entire portions of a staircase to create a beautiful photo, especially if it’s as important as a bride portrait.
After shooting hundreds of weddings, I have a great sense of which photos will get framed, and which ones will go into the couple’s wedding album. Those get extra attention.
If anything takes my eye away from the pretty details, it goes!
I throw no shade to anyone who unintentionally wanders into an image. As you can see, even I photobomb our own photos!
Sometimes the couple specifically asks me if I can get rid of someone’s black eye or bruise, in most cases I can…
Taking down power lines, ha ha…
Sometimes event staff wander in and out of our pictures, because they’re working hard too! We do our best to avoid them or just take them out.
