It seems like many of you are interested in seeing examples of oomph-ified images! That’s what I call images I post-process to get them print-ready.
If any of you are wondering why you should print your images through me (even if you’ve purchased a CD), it’s because you get professional-grade prints AND most importantly, you get my creative perspective on your images!
Michele, a recent client, ordered several prints for her home wall gallery. (She also ordered a CD of all her images.) She was so excited to see the oomph-ed prints that she compared them to her online gallery. Then asked to see them side by side for fun! (I love when clients get super passionate about photography, especially when it’s MY photography!) <:)
So I thought I’d post it here for all to see…
Before
This is an artsy shot taken from behind a display of boxes of chocolates… but it could use a little va-va-va-voom.
After
I made the colors richer and got rid of the red dot in Baby Kate’s eyes, which were a reflection from something in front of her. I also gave the image more contrast, which made everything “pop”.
This photo would be awesome on Metallic Paper!
Before #1: Straight-out-of-the-camera
A somewhat ordinary photo that has potential…
Before #2: Image in Client Gallery
So I changed it into a BxW photo, lightened it a little, and gave it a little haze to make it look more dreamy. I didn’t mind the “noise” (ie, other people, clutter) in the photo because this was an urban shoot. And the “noise” represented the hustle and bustle of a San Francisco weekend.
Now I notice little Kate in the sea of adults.
This is a great example of “light editing”, which is what I do for images in a Client Gallery (or proofs). I don’t do any Photoshop work… just really fast edits, like cropping or changing into BxW.
After: OOMPHED!
I “burned” (a fancy term for darkened) the edges to wash out the woman’s face on the left. I also “burned” the man’s face who is directly behind Kate. This is really subtle for I wanted this to look natural. (Bad Photoshop work is when an image looks Photoshopped!)
Michele said she found the purses at the bottom distracting, so I made the one on the right stand out less by getting rid of the shine and darkening the silver zipper pulls. It still looks like a purse, but it no longer steals the show!
I also lightened Michele and Al’s hair, so you could see more texture and details. These may seem like small changes, but now the focus is more on the family of three rather than a general image of the scene, which it could’ve been mistaken for in the Before images.
Before & After
The After image (on the right) has more contrast and depth. With the richness of the image, you can see the sparkle in Michele and Kate’s eyes whereas you wouldn’t really notice it in the Before image.
FYI: I do this for every print order. Not all photos require extra oomph, but I will spend time on each and every image you order – regardless of print size or quantity. You can also purchase a Special CD of edited images. Please check out my website under Pricing, then Prints for more information.