The 10 things you should now about editing

Do you really like doing this ?

When the shooting is over, when the strobes are back in their boxes where they will sleep waiting for the next model, when the memo card is full, that’s when the fun stops and the real work begins.

Now, Don’t get me wrong, shooting needs a lot of attention, especially when you shoot unexperienced models. But this is also the time you are creative. So what happens next? You get home, load the pic in your PC/iMac and you have to start to make decisions. Depending on the type of shooter you are you have 300 pics (=2 hours shoot) or much more. I am the kind of guy who prepares more and shoot less. 50 pics pro set, sometimes more, sometimes less, but most of the time if I fail to nail it, I just move on.

The way I go is :

a) Get rid of your blurred + eyes closed + bad composed shots

b) Many of shots are alike. Just keep 10% of the pictures which are ok of each setup

c) Now the difficulty really begins. Just follow your instinct and pick up 3 pics / setup

After this go to photoshop and start the retouching.

d) This is actually my message tonight : retouch and go.

e) Come back the day after and see what you’ve done with new eyes. And ask your friends /wife /husband to have a look at your babies.

f) Be ready to reconsider you mind.

g) When having doubts, just make a second version

h) apply d) and jump back to i)

i) once you are done with the best 3 pics / setup, then choose the best ones.

j) Forget the rest. Who wants the second best? We want the best. Always. Because this is how we want to be seen as an artist and photographer. We do not want to be the second best. We want to be the one. So your pics have to be the ones.

FIRST ATTEMPT

AND FINALLY I WENT FOR “Less is more!”

At the end of the day, it’s all a question of personal taste!

more to come…

Analog Efex Pro – Before/After

Hi guys !
Analog Efex Pro is really fun and it really turns your pics to a next level. This is not going to create a great or wow shot out of a bad one. It you can make it to an eye-catcher, you can let it pop !

Look at that:

Before (out of cam)

and after

Is it a wow shot or not? Not it isn’t. But it’s nice and moody. I like it for what it is, a well done snapshot !

So now let’s be serious! Can I use this for picture of quality or pics with potential. Well I wouldn’t say yes or no. What is sure is that you have edit small steps by small steps and keep discret so no one knows what you used to get the shot. And do not forget, taht nobody’s perfect, so let small blemishes here and there so it looks… normal (even when it’s not!).

more to come…

Editing + Great Video

I am finished with the post processing of my last week shooting. Actually it’s fun to work CS5 and its plugins but in same time, I wish I had no computer but rolls to develop.

Why?

Well, because with less pictures, your choice (=the picture you are going to edit) is kept smaller. I was in Lyon, France this week and in the plane I read an article about an editor who was thinking this too. But, to be totally honest, without the digital area, I would never have tried to make so much pictures.

His workflow is :

Step one – delete all bad shots (eyes closed, unpleasant blur…)
Step two – wait 1 or 2 months (!) so you forget the emotion you had while shooting. In other words, forget the shots.

Step three – Chose only the two best shots per setup and edit them
step four – select among the winners of step 3 the ones you send to the lab in a medium format (not too small, not too big…). As it costs, you will be more selective.

Truth being said, I think it is a pretty clever thing to do. Actually I did it without putting step four in my workflow. But as I print or better said let print on a regular basis, I do select again my shots.

I think the possible further steps could be…

step five – Select the pics you are going to put on you walls
step six – Among these, select the ones for your portfolio.

As this blog is a place where I share my “knowledges accumulated on the way”, I have grabbed a great video to retouch parts of pictures:

http://www.photoshop.com/tutorials/7874

Have fun and a good light ! more to come…

Failures At The Editing Of The Shooting

Having Diner With Mister Failure: previously on HDWMF, Marc is having diner with his own failures and talk to Mister Failure.

Me
I love that shot. But it was not the one I had chosen a first. I picked up an other one at first which was not as good as this one.

Failure
I see.

Me
Making a shot is one thing. Editing is also complicated.

Failure
True. But this one is truly ok.

Me
Thank you.

Failure
How do you chose your pictures?

Me
First of all I get rid of the bad one: too dark, to bright, blur, eyes closed, etc… Then, I review them and select the multiple selections.

Failure
Sounds good.

Me
No. Sometimes it works pretty well, sometimes not.

Failure
Humm…

Me
I have realized that I pick up the best pictures after a certain time. If I do it right after the shooting, I oversee some stronger shots. But sometimes I have to do it quick.

Failure
Try to improve. And maybe be more selective. I mean, the wow shot is somethimg that blows you away. The other needs a review. So if you have a wow, then stop, stay where you are and focus only on that one.

More to come…