Editing and retouching, and the guidelines I use for each.

I always take lots of pictures.  Always.  Because there will be some which are okay,

and some which are really good, and some which will make you catch your breath,

relive that moment, and (sometimes) even bring a tear to your eye.  In the course of

your session, or your wedding day, capturing these many moments is the first step.

 Afterward, the process continues: editing out the 'so-so' images in favor of the really

good ones, and the knock-your-socks-off ones, is the next step.  Then, comes

retouching.

What, exactly, is retouching?

It's using specialized software to smooth the skin a bit, show the sparkle in your eye,

and the bright joy in your smile.  Little imperfections (and we all have them) are

minimized.  If a stray hair wisps across your eye, it can be removed, but I can't give

you a new hairdo.  If your shirt gets an awkward wrinkle, or a lingerie strap sneaks

out when it's not supposed to, it can be fixed, but I can't change the basic lines of

your wardrobe.  So, retouching is more of an enhancement of what is, rather than

creation of what never was.  If you have a particular concern for the day of your

session/wedding, let me know, and we'll talk about what can be done.  For instance, I

had a groom who got poison ivy on his cheek just before his wedding.  We dealt with

it by using different camera angles when possible, and I retouched it away when

changing the camera angle wasn't an option.  In another case, the flower girl got

pinkeye just before the big day, and I was able to retouch out the redness in any

pictures she was in.  My guideline here would be that, if it will be gone in two or three

weeks, I'm happy to retouch it.  If it's a permanent part of you, unless you

specifically ask that it be removed, it stays.  So, let me know if there's something

that you'd like minimized or removed.

Basic retouching of your chosen images is included in all sessions.

On occasion, people have asked if they might get a discount if they are willing to take

the unedited, unretouched images.  This is often referred to as 'shoot and burn' and

is not something that I do.  When I release the images to you, my reputation goes

along with them.  Every. single. time.  It's important to me that those images

represent my best effort in creation, editing, and retouching.  My standards are high,

and yes, it takes time to do my best work.  And, it's SO worth it, to be proud of the

results, each and every time.