Detroit Commercial Photographers Mary DuPrie
Detroit Michigan Commercial Model Photographers… we see what “can” be. Clients literally see an image but as a photographer I envision. I pretty much know how I’m going to retouch an image when I see it. I might plan on changing the overall tone, perhaps split toning, where I take the shadows blue and keep the highlights warm. I lot of fashion images go towards the blue side with the face going somewhat white.
I do a lot of burning/darkening and dodging/lightening to an image. So wherever I have highlights I go over with more highlights and where ever I have shadows I go over with even more shadows, in varying degrees.
The image above was from a test I did for a commercial hair care client before the big shoot day. If the shoot deserves it I will do a pre-shoot so the day of the shoot will go faster and smoother. In commercial and advertising photography it’s not always possible for a pre-shoot but because it was in my studio I thought I would go for it.
What I’ve finally learned from photographing and trying to retouch hair is to NOT edge/rim light it. It’s basically impossible to retouch rim lit hair. So the big change I would make with this setup is to let the edges of the hair go dark and only light the hair from the front and top.
Camera right side of the hair is all but impossible to retouch… bummer. (At least at my skill level).
I don’t always vignette and if I do I try to make it asymmetrical. Applying the same vignette on an image can go a bit High School Senior looking so I try to change it up. I like to burn the edges or better yet use a transparent gradient on the edges, in a color besides just black. I’m aiming for a spotlight look on the face.
Years ago I had a photographer say about digital “you have to dig out the image”… very true with digital.