Steps for Retouching Photographs taken by Mandy Mayberry Photography

Photography is a powerful form of art that captures the beauty and emotions of a moment in time that can be cherished forever. Although capturing a beautiful photograph involves a wide variety of techniques and skills, it often still needs to be adjusted and re-touched in order to achieve the desired result. Retouching photographs is an important step that can be used by photographers to bring out the best in a photograph. Mandy Mayberry Photography, a Massachusetts, Cape Cod, Vermont, and Rhode Island based fine art film and digital wedding, families, and portrait photographer, has some specific steps that they use when retouching their photographs.

The first step in the retouching process involves selecting the best photos from the batch. Mandy Mayberry Photography uses Lightroom to quickly go through the photos and narrow down which photographs they will be focusing on. The team then opens the selected photos in Photoshop to begin the actual retouching process.

The next step is to adjust the lighting. This is done by playing around with the Exposure, Highlights, Shadows, and other lighting-related settings to make sure the photo is properly exposed. The team also adjusts the Contrast and other settings to give the photo more depth and character. They also work with the color curves and hues to ensure that the colors in the photograph pop.

The third step is to correct any unwanted colors, blemishes, and distractions. Mandy Mayberry Photography utilizes the Spot Healing Brush and Clone Stamp tool to remove any dust or distractions from the photograph. They also use the Dodge and Burn tools to create the illusion of depth and to bring out the focus of the photograph.

Mandy Mayberry Photography then moves on to sharpening the photograph. Using the High Pass filter in combination with the Contrast, Clarity, and Sharpening tools, they sharpen key elements in the photograph to create an observational sharpness. After that, they also add a vignette to bring the focus to the subject of the photograph.

The last step of the retouching process is to apply any final touches. For landscapes, Mandy Mayberry Photography often adds a haze and a gradient filter, as well as a the colors may be adjusted to bring the whole photograph together. For portrait photographs, they use the softening tools to give the subjects of the photographs a smoother and more natural look.

Retouching photographs is an important part of photography that can be used to bring out the best in any photograph. Mandy Mayberry Photography follows a specific sequence of steps when retouching their photographs that helps bring out the true beauty and emotion of a photograph. With each step, the team works diligently to give the photograph its own unique style that can be cherished and enjoyed.