I have come to realize there are many people that do not have any inclination that processing of digital images in professional photography exists. Or shall I say, that they may not know that I do such work on client images! But everyone seems to know what Photoshop is, right?

I have decided to start a series of posts on the process  of my work with images. We tend to value the things that we know more about and are invested in. There is a general thought process that results in people’s mind when they look at professional pictures… “My camera doesn’t take pictures like that!” Of course not! Professionals have professional equipment and much more – all of which the average person doesn’t own. So there is no need to be confused about that any more.

Let me show you two examples from a recent event for our first Before & After. This first image shows a fairly decent Before image. Her face is a bit dark and I wanted to find a beautiful, warm color to enhance the setting sun at the event. I process images with Adobe Lightroom 3 and begin my editing with a basic “preset” to apply adjustments. The particular one chosen shifted the light, lightened the shadows, added warmth, and a slight vignette (darkening around the edge of the image). You can see more detail throughout the image, even a bit of the clouds in the sky that you couldn’t see before. The After image certain “feels” like you were there and with the final adjustments it is an even more beautiful shot!

Here’s the same preset applied and tweaked for another image from the event. For an event shot, either one would be acceptable, but I love the After image because it draws you in and it doesn’t feel like a snapshot. Images tend to play on your emotions a bit – bring back memories to cherish them again.

What questions do you have about professional photography? Post your comments below.