A pain in the back
This week has been full of endless editing marathons. And unfortunately, I’ve been paying for it. I spent all of my 20’s as a professional ballet dancer, so sitting at a desk in my 30’s is still quite new for my body to adjust to. And while I do move around a lot when I’m photographing a client, you might be surprised to find out that taking actual photographs is a very small part of a photographer’s job.
A very in-focus screenshot from my Instagram story. Do notice the foam roller. Do not notice my facial hair which needs to be trimmed.
Just Like with everything I create, A great deal of planning is behind every finished image from Paris. Literally months of planning, and most often at the desk in my Denver office. Much of the planning was done on “what if” thinking: what if the weather is like this…what if this location isn’t crowded at sunrise, etc. But plan we did…and luckily, most of it worked out beautifully!
Last minute fitting in Denver!
Maggie came to my office for endless fittings over the months leading up to Paris. And it was right near the end that I suggested a ballerina-inspired look. I sent away for a gorgeous layered tulle skirt from 2live2love and it arrived just in time. I wasn’t sure what would go with it, but just a couple of days before leaving I found a simple top from H&M that I thought would complete the look. I reached out to Maggie and said, “I need you to try on one more thing!!!”
Editing and Retouching
Obviously sandwiched in between the planning of a portrait session and the editing of one, is the actual portrait session. And for Maggie, that meant traveling to Paris! Her part of the creative process ended, though once we finished the final portrait session; my work really felt like it began at that point! Unlike on Instagram where many people paste a filter over their cell phone picture and call it a day, professionally editing and retouching a single image can take many, many hours. It depends on the image…how it was shot…how tight the crop is on the subject…lots of things, really. And in my case, it also comes down to me being a perfectionist. I do NOT photograph professional models for magazines (I cannot say this enough!), but I still want my clients to have that fashion magazine experience. And for me, that means a high and beautiful standard of editing.
Above you see images from our first day in Paris. Or really, our first evening. If you remember from that blog, we were quickly running out of light. My first job for those set of images in post-processing was to bring more light into the image (and make sure it was a usable portrait session). From there, I start adjusting the colors of the image I’m working on. I have to be careful about this, as I’m colorblind…but more about that in another blog ;) And then the final step is retouching. I won’t get too much into that process right now, but I’m currently posting videos on my Instagram story showing my retouching from start to finish. Follow along here!
Looking like a movie star
Worth getting up for
The second set of images I'd like to share is from the final full day in Paris. This was when we went to Sacré-Cœur at sunrise and if you remember, we didn’t stay long due to the smell of urine generously left for us. Luckily, though the images from that morning turned out beautifully and smell just great!!!
Martin is the wind beneath my wings. And Maggie’s Hair, apparently.
A “windy”, misty morning in Paris.
Bird: I owe you big time for flying into this shot! No, he or she was not photoshopped in. Yes, I am grateful when things like that happen on their own!
Link of the day
