Hey y’all! So I have just sent you a link to your gallery and its filled with gorgeous images, and you are ready to download. But not so fast… chances are they are in a folder I have labeled “softproof”. And I know there’s a lot of blah blah blah with some extra yada yada yada down there but stay with me till the end and you’ll see some examples of the process!

So what does softproof mean?

In order to have a speedy turn around time, I choose to not fully edit every single image. Chances are you have gotten 4 to 5 times the images that are included in your package in your softproof folder. For example, I just finished a senior session that included 15 high resolution digitals in the package but in the softproof album there are over 80 images. The images in the softproof album are basically culled images, images that are considered winners because the composition is good, the facial expression is beautiful, the blinking eyes and funny mid sentence faces don’t make it to this album. Now it is your turn to go through your softproof album and pick the images that you want.

So why do I do this?

To speed up turn around time! It would take a lot of time to edit, let’s say, over 80 images and when you will only pick 15 you want to keep. And images that I absolutely love some times don’t get picked because you are your own worst critic. While I judge images with a professional and accepting eye, most people view their images with a critical eye on their appearance. How those jeans don’t look right? That isn’t your best side… (and here’s a little secret… nobody else sees that shit or cares… if I have given you the picture in the softproof gallery, it’s a good one!).

The choosing process…

So choosing your images in the gallery is as simple as hearting images on Instagram. As you hover over the image, a star with appear at the bottom, star the image and it’s in your favorites. Let’s say you get 15 images, you can go through and star as many as you want and then a favorite folder is created, you can now go into that folder and look at all the favorited images and narrow it down.

What should you look for when choosing images?

Let’s start with what not to look at… DO NOT look at the editing and the tones in the pictures. DO NOT look at the blemishes on your face. DO NOT look at if the horizon line is straight. *** DO look for beautiful facial expression. ***DO look for images that make you feel happy. *** DO look for background and composition that you like. Overall, just like the picture. Once you are done, don’t forget to send me a message saying you have finished selecting! Stay with me a little longer and I’ll show those examples I promised in the beginning!

What’s done to the final images?

Now that I have your favorites, I even out skin tones, remove blemishes and bruises, whiten teeth, straight the horizon line out, work on the overall aesthetic and coloring of the images. Now here’s one thing I want you to know… Some photographers say “I’m light and bright” or “I’m dark and moody”. Well, I don’t do that. I edit the aesthetic of the image based on the mood and vibe of the shoot. For example, sometimes green and other distracting colors will be muted but for like Christmas shoots, usually you want that red and green pop! If you are looking for a certain aesthetic, tell me when you send me your favorites!

Ok, here’s what you’ve been waiting for…

THE EXAMPLES!

Last but not least… NEVER and I mean NEVER ask your photographer for the SOOC/ Raw images. Your photographer will not like you. You hired and paid them based on their work so let them do it. And while I am here, you do not need all the images. You may want a few more than are included in your package and that’s fine. But save your money and don’t ask to buy all.

• For a Christmas card, you need about 2-5 images. Choose your Christmas card template and let me know and I’ll try to match the tone and vibe of the template.
• For a 10 spread album, 20-35 images are good. Let me know ahead of time if you want an album so we can get the right package for you. And yes, I sell albums and better ones than Shutterfly.
• LOL… for social media… people love you, yes they do but don’t overshare and post 75 images, no one will look at all those images. They will probably look through the first ten and then move on. #reality

Anyways, ask me questions below or message me!