So many times you’ll here the phrase, “I’ll just fix it in Photoshop later.”
While computers certainly have their place, it’s not always possible to correct errors made when exposing the image. Even though we use digital capture, we try to get the lighting and composition right at the time of exposure. We then take the RAW file (digital negative) and adjust it slightly for exposure and color balance before processing it to a JPG format – the same kind of file that comes out of your point and shoot digital camera. The difference being that ours has been fine-tuned for the best possible results.
Many will question the added steps in workflow that the RAW format requires, but it is actually far more efficient to adjust a RAW file than it is to “fix” a jpg file.
Now we take the process a step farther. We are pre-visualizing what we want the final image to look like at the time of capture and then going through a series of steps using the computer to realize our vision. We’ve done it so long that it has become second nature. The above picture of Kiley is an example of what we can do when we “see” the final image in our minds as we are doing our senior sessions.