What Does it Mean to Retouch Images?

Ever since Photography was invented, photographers have been altering the final image. Ansel Adams believed that a photo wasn’t complete until it was printed in the darkroom and that from the moment the photographer chose the shot to when the print was dry, they made hundreds of choices that defined the final image.

The negative is the score. The print is the performance.

Ansel Adams

With the invention of Photoshop, we have been able to make micro changes to scanned images even before we could shoot straight to digital. As the tools for manipulation became more powerful, so did the controversy around misleading and false images. And now with AI, the ability for images to be digitally corrupted has grown exponentially.

So, what do I mean when I say you will get two retouched images as part of your photo package? Simply put, I will correct any lighting issues I couldn’t fix when the shot was taken, and I will boost some of the settings to make the image pop. But I will NOT do anything to your face or body that you have not given permission for me to do. If you want to keep all of your freckles, I won’t touch them.

But if you want me to remove a couple blemishes here and there, I will do that for you. Similarly, if you would like me to soften some wrinkles or maybe whiten your teeth a bit, I am happy to do that as well.

The idea is to get the best shot in camera and use the retouching to enhance it, not create something totally different. All of this can be discussed either before the shoot or during. It’s how we collaborate together.

The image on the left has had the shadows darkened, the skin softened and some of the age spots removed.

The image on the right is a composite of a portrait and abstract textures of sand.