I have been thinking about doing a post like this for a while since it seems like I get asked a lot about editing and what goes into my post production process. In reality, I would say that 50% of the work I do is in post production, it’s what really makes a photo pop and makes someone remember that photo (hopefully, if done right!). Post-production is a constantly evolving process for me, as my photography skills improve the less work I have to do in PP, which is nice. I am always trying to better my work and that means keeping up to date on my editing skills. I have really gotten away from the use of actions in Photoshop and now I try to do things my own way and I have been so much happier with my results!
Another reason for this post is to explain the difference in my edits. SOOC stands for “straight out of camera,” which means that I have not touched the photos at all except for maybe converting them to JPEG from RAW. Other than that it is exactly what the camera gives me. My simple edits are what you would receive for your digital negatives. I correct them for color cast issues and maybe a slight curves adjustment, but other than that they really never see Photoshop. They usually get a quick batch process in LightRoom. My final edits are photos that either I post on my blog or are being sent to print from client orders. They receive a final edit from me in Photoshop to make them stand out, and look awesome in printed form. These photos will receive retouching if necessary and usually take around 15-30 minutes to complete. Then I have what I call “custom edits,” these pictures might get a little extra processing to make them really pop with the use of textures or some special editing in Photoshop. I have included some pictures so you can get a feel of what I do with each photo…