Just as there are things one might do before a photoshoot to make sure one looks their best, such as a haircut, putting on makeup, or wearing your favorite outfit, there are tools that can be used after the photoshoot to help the photos look their very best. The subject of retouching covers many of these tools. 

Some of the things retouching can address that are: skin blemish removal, smoothing of skin tone, reduction of wrinkles, handling dark circles under the eyes, whitening of teeth, handling of unruly hair, slimming of bulky clothing (they live by their own rules sometimes), and removal of distracting elements in the environment (you’d be surprised how much removing some power lines or an innocent passer-by can help improve a shot). 

In addition to the above there’s compositing, taking pieces from different photos and putting them together into one photo. A common example of this with family photos is combining a shot where child A is looking at the camera with a shot where child B is looking at the camera.  

Just as a person’s reasons for wanting retouching of images are their own, so is the choice whether or not to have images retouched. There’s nothing wrong with wanting completely natural, candid photos. There’s also nothing wrong with wanting shots with a little extra polish from the retoucher. Both approaches are legitimate and both have their place. 

But, from a retoucher, whether you’re going to get your photos retouched or not: on shoot day, no hair ties on wrists and no cell phones in pockets the camera can see. You’d be surprised how often the request is to remove these two things!

If you have any questions about retouching, feel free to ask. And just so you know, many people pick a few of their favorite photos and say “make me look great,” and possibly mention something they’d like addressed or are a little sensitive about. That’s totally fine. We want you to feel great about your photos and retouching can help accomplish that.

Click any of the images on this page to see some before and after examples.

If you’re interested in a learning a bit more, you might be interested in reading about the “Impolite Viewer” or The Reality of Retouching.