Why You Should Edit Your Photos

Recently, we visited a professional photograph taking company to have family pictures taken. I had my suspicions about how the photos were going to turn out from the way that the session went but I decided to give it a chance and keep an open mind. When we got the pictures back there was absolutely no professional photo editing done at all. One picture had baby drool still on it, another had food stains; they were just a mess. Absolutely no extra effort put in at all. I was appalled. I’ll never use that photographer again. I did ask about it and she told me “we don’t offer photography editing services or use any photography editing companies because we want to capture the memory exactly how it was.” Well, it’s my picture and I had an awful experience so I wanted nice pictures and no memories of the experience. With the amount of photographers available in the world, making good use of photography editing companies is essential to standing out from the rest of them. If you don’t, chances are your customers won’t be back all that soon.
Photography touch up services have become a way of life not and no one looks down on editing photos. Sure, you still hear some people speak out every now and again but that’s usually about people changing their bodies to be something that they are not in a photograph. Let me clarify what I mean by editing- this is referring to contrasting, cropping, brightening, darkening, making black and white or sepia tones, blurring, removing background noise; all of these things are perfectly acceptable and will still capture the memory and the moment of the photo without changing what the actual subject looks like.

One of the great things about using photography editing companies is that you aren’t the best photographer but it’s just something you love to do, editing can make your work look really good, much better than it actually is. It can cover mistakes and readjust positions and angles so that the picture makes it seem like the photographer is really experienced and knows exactly what they are doing.

Photography editing companies understand what to do and what not to do. Their sole purpose in life is to make a picture better. They know what to look for, what to edit and what to leave alone. One thing to keep in mind is that the people working at these places are trained professionals. They know their software, they know their programs and they know their photos. Chances are, they have edited so many photos in their career that they know how to get the perfect blend and balance of color and shadow.

If you choose not to use a photo editing service or do any editing yourself, this is something that needs to be told to the client up front. They should not be deceived into thinking that the photo shoot is only part of what they are paying for. They need to know that exactly how the picture looks when it is taken is how it is going to stay. You run the risk of not having them choose you as their photographer but if they do, the honest thing to do is not to charge them more if the session takes longer than planned because they want to take some pictures over and over. It’s the least you can do if you are not going to edit.

There’s no reason not to edit, however. Especially if you are going to do it yourself. You can charge more for your pictures and they come out better. It’s also not an ongoing expense. Once you pay for the software, the only time you’ll have to pay more is if you want to upgrade your program. Otherwise, the only thing you are investing by editing, is your time. Which, yes, takes a lot of time. But, isn’t it worth it to be able to give out better quality pictures as well as make a little bit more money?

Whatever you decide to do is up to you but keep in mind that you will be seen as more professional if you do offer editing services.