I just finished post-processing 1,017 images. Several of those photos will be used for marketing and public relations, both in print and online, later this year and next.
The client doesn’t know which images will be used over the next twelve months so all the photos had to be processed and delivered now. Over 2,400 images were shot and those were edited down to 1,017. I probably could’ve edited it down a lot more but I wanted the client to have a broad selection to cover all future possibilities.
The images included:
— Many group shots, all of which required some faces to be retouched (i.e. eyes opened, shadows lightened and eyeglass reflections removed).
— Several presentations where fingerprints had to be removed from glass-framed items.
— Building exteriors and room interiors, all of which needed verticals straightened, carpets cleaned and ground debris removed.
— Food shots in which the food had to be freshened and fixed up.
— A few hundred pictures of people wearing baseball hats or visors, all of which needed facial shadows lightened and colours warmed.
Minutes Add Up
If the work could’ve been done at one minute per picture, that would still have added up to 1,017 minutes, or 17 hours. Some pictures required just basic edits but others required much more.
I spent almost 50 hours on the images. That’s an average of three minutes per image. Would you work 50 hours (i.e. more than a week) for free? Of course not. This is why photographers charge for post-processing.
Some customers understand that images right from the camera are not ready-to-go. But many others don’t realize that digital photos often require adjustments to brightness, contrast, colour, sharpening, and sometimes more, especially for portraits. Even pictures from a $7,000 camera still need work.
Is Post-processing Necessary?
Is post-processing really necessary?
It depends. How good is good enough when your company image is on the line?
A picture right from the camera is like standing on one leg: if all things work out just right, you can stay upright. Good enough as long as there are no expectations and no competition.
But a properly processed and finished photograph gives you two solid legs to stand on; quality photography to support your marketing needs and business image.
A rule of thumb is that one hour of commercial photography requires two hours of computer time. This is much faster than the days of film.
Digital photography allows for much more control and many clients fully expect to benefit from that control. They want their executive portrait to have the polish of a magazine cover, their office interiors to look like the pictures in an architecture brochure, and their events to look like a well-lit stage play.
Photographers: don’t under-estimate the time required to fully edit your pictures. Even a few minutes per photo can really add up. Don’t be surprised when, not if, you spend more time with your computer than your camera. Post-processing is part of your job. It is real work and you must charge for it.
Customers: don’t put up with photographers who dump unedited pictures on a disc for you and then run out the door. Pushing a camera’s shutter button only starts a picture, it doesn’t finish it. Post-processing does cost money but your company image is worth it. The public judges a company by its marketing and advertising efforts.
