Fashion photographers must be as good in retouching as in handling the cameras.
As a fashion photographer, the retouching process is inevitable. Imperfections will have to be eliminated to make the photos look as smooth as possible. Just being able to handle the Camera as a seasoned photographer and professional are not enough. Having fast knowledge of everything that brings the photo to life will undoubtedly increase your credibility in the industry.
Every fashion photographer gets to a point where doing retouching on a professional scale will become a must. I noticed that many people think that retouching an image is photoshopping the image to a point of impossibly perfect. Contrary to popular belief that is not what a professional fashion photographer aims to achieve.
Why retouching is a must
Fashion photography is all about bringing the picture to life while the model and clothing gets the attention it deserves. Every fashion photographer’s main focus should be on making the shot as perfect as possible. Even though every fashion photographer aims to achieve this, it is not easily done. Many factors contribute to the fact that a picture may need a little retouching.
[pullquote]Factors such as detail, sharpness, distortion, resolution can have a huge impact on the overall quality of the photograph.[/pullquote]
In addition to this, there are factors the fashion photographer has no control over; like the models. Models may show up with wrinkled skin, dry skin due to lack of sleep, an unhealthy diet, too much alcohol intake before the shoot and so forth. In cases like this retouching is a must.
Let’s break the process down:
There are certain key things you need to do in every fashion shoot to make the retouching process less painful and lengthy.
- The skin – Blemishes, wrinkles, acne have to be removed from the photo. This must be done subtle but professional that nothing remains noticeable. This is detailed work so it may take up to hours and a professional with a keen eye for imperfections. If the model takes good care of her skin, this will be much easier.
- Makeup – some makeup artists do great work which minimizes the amount spent to correct and or readjust makeup mistakes. contouring mistakes, a blush that is too strong, too heavy eyeshadow or peeling eyelashes, different color tones and undertones of the skins are all factors that should be fixed.
- The hair – Most models come in with their natural hair which is fine, however, if the shoot calls for it the hair will get done differently. Hair might take a long time to work on since hair is worked on strand by strand. The hair should be flawless for the shoot here’s where a good hairdresser comes in handy.
Retouch like a pro and have the photo look natural
The aim of every fashion photographer is to have to do as little retouching as possible. Many photographers thus hire a team of professionals. In most cases, you’ll have a full team of exceptionally talented people. Your makeup artist will be a pro in using the right amount of makeup, the right colors, the model will show up with great skin and do a great job, the hair stylist will produce magnificent work and your lighting is perfect. With a highly talented team, you won’t have to do much work at all. The camera will do all the magic
