How To Mangle Perfectly Good Wedding Photographs
In the digital age of photography, after effects is arguably as valuable as taking the picture. And with remarkable improvements in post-processing software, like Photoshop, a photograph can be manipulated to astonishing degrees – even to a point of being unrecognizable from the original.
Unlimited options is why some wedding photographers, mostly amateurs but also some experienced photographers, go horribly astray. Needless to say, it’s important to employ some different effects to a few shots. But, good wedding photography integrates post-production like a talented wedding make-up artist plies their trade (ie) even when a significant amount of make-up, it’s subtle and classy.
Undoubtedly, subtlety and taste are often in the eye of the beholder. So, when it comes to choosing the best wedding photography one should look carefully at the photographer’s work to evaluate whether their post style enhances or detracts from the pictures.
For example, most wedding photographers will use some skin smoothening, in particular for the pictures of the happy couple. This is an effect that if carried too far looks awful – like the front of magazines that have been over-airbrushed so that the celebrity looks like anime. Conversely, done well this tool will only bolster the shot. After all, the goal is to make people look like the finest version of themselves, not like a mannequin.
Certainly, many other tools can be used with regrettable consequences – like bad fashion from the 80s. The distinction is that bad fashion often makes a comeback, which is almost always not the situation with tasteless post-production.
Save yourself the squirming as you look at your photos thirty years on. The most creative wedding photographers use post-production software to generate shots that deliver in all the right ways. In other words, see to it that the post-production on your wedding photographs is on the right side of that fine line. You’ll be glad you did.