Business Attitudes Toward Photos

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1.   We know our website photos are poor, but we don’t care.
 
These businesses view website photos as a necessary evil—simply filling empty space as cheaply as possible. Image quality doesn’t matter to them.

2.   We don’t know the photos are poor.
 
This happens with businesses that rely on images taken by employees or other amateurs. These businesses believe that all images are essentially the same. They don’t know how to use photography.

3.   The photos are technically perfect, but still fall short.
 
This is especially common with business headshots, where the lighting may be ideal, but the pose or facial expression doesn’t convey the right message. The reason is always that the company hired a low-priced photographer because cheaper is seen as better.

4.   We know when photos are weak and we make an effort to fix them.
 
These businesses recognize the importance of brand image and understand that photos are a key communication tool. They make an effort to reshoot or retouch images when necessary in order to enhance their reputation.

 

Which one best describes your business?

 

The Cost of Prevention

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What will it cost if your photo project fails? If your photographer misses the mark and the photos are not effective, how much will that impact your business? Thousands? Tens of thousands? Perhaps even hundreds of thousands of dollars?

What will it cost to ensure your photo project succeeds? A few hundred or a few thousand dollars more? Far less than the potential loss from failure.

So why take the risk of hiring the cheapest photographer, the lowest bidder?

 

How Retouching Enhances Wedding Photos

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Professional retouching can significantly improve wedding photos by correcting technical issues, enhancing skin appearance, and adding artistic effects, all while preserving the natural beauty of the moment.

Correct Technical Issues

Wedding photographers often work quickly and with limited equipment. They don’t always have control over the lighting in venues like churches, hotel ballrooms or parks. As a result, uneven or unpredictable lighting can affect the quality of the images. Photo editing and retouching help correct these lighting issues, ensuring the final photos are visually balanced.

Most wedding photographers do some basic editing before delivering the photos. But few perform detailed retouching. This is usually because it’s time-consuming, not cost-effective, or simply outside their skill set.
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The Small Details

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Some people say they don’t worry about the small details. But if you run a business, that’s the wrong approach. The small details are crucial—they’re the most visible to customers and the easiest to criticize.

If a business can’t get the small details right, how can customers trust it with bigger issues?

Small Details Noticed First

Small details are noticed by customers first. Whether it’s the spelling on your website, the design of an online form, or how promptly you return emails, attention to these details shows customers that you care about providing a good experience.
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When To Retouch Your Family Portraits

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Deciding whether or not to retouch your family portraits follows a similar thought process as for individual portraits. But there are a few added considerations since a family portrait is usually a group photo. Here are a few things to consider:

Purpose of the Portrait

If your family portrait is for something formal like a holiday card, a website, or a living room wall, a little retouching can help enhance the image while maintaining a natural look. Common adjustments might include softening harsh lighting, evening out skin tones, or removing temporary blemishes.

For a family portrait that’s for personal use, retouching isn’t usually necessary. A family photo is more about the moment captured than perfection.
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Retouching Dating Profile Photos

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Around 2008, a photographer-friend, who owned a portrait studio, started getting customers who wanted dating profile portraits. Cellphone cameras were becoming popular back then, but many people wanted higher quality photos with better lighting. Shooting online dating photos became a popular service at his studio.

When he closed his studio at the end of 2019, he had said that the demand for shooting dating photos had dropped to zero. My friend speculated that, because cellphone cameras had become so much better, most people were using cellphone photos for their dating profiles.

Yesterday I retouched two cellphone selfies for someone who said the images were for her dating profile. The image quality was pretty good because she used a recent cellphone. But there were problems.
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When To Retouch Your Headshot

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Deciding whether or not to retouch your portrait depends on the purpose of the image and your personal preferences. Here are a few things to consider:

Purpose of the Portrait

If your portrait is going to be used for professional use (e.g., on a business website or a LinkedIn profile) then a polished image is essential to help convey professionalism. Some level of retouching is a common practice such as skin smoothing, removing blemishes, and brightening the eyes. Just to be clear, “skin smoothing” is not a glamour glow or a soft-focus effect. Skin smoothing evens colour and luminance tones.

For personal-use portraits, you most likely don’t need retouching. The exception is if you want to add a creative effect, a dramatic look, or a style that you like.
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