The business of photography and retouching
Photo retouching works on the “garbage in, garbage out” principle. If you start with a low-quality or poorly composed image, retouching can only do so much — it might improve a few elements, but it will mostly just enhance the flaws. But if you begin with a reasonably well-produced photo, retouching can take it from good to outstanding.
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Here are a few more examples of my photo retouching of business headshots and other portraits.
Retouching also fixed a few minor issues. This person is wearing a hair weave and, in a larger photo, the netting is visible in the hair part. The hair was retouched to make the part look more natural. Also, the lighting was a bit harsh and the skin was over-sharpened. These were softened with retouching.
Removing someone from a photo is a common retouching request for wedding, family, graduation, and business pictures. While re-shooting the photo may be the better option, it’s not always possible. In those cases, retouching becomes the only solution.
The success of removing someone from a photo depends on how much that person overlaps with others and how complex the background is.
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Human ears come in a range of shapes and sizes. Most people have “normal” ears, but ears can also be big, small, pointed, protruding, folded, cupped, lobeless, and a few other shapes.
Ears typically don’t draw much attention in a photo. And they probably shouldn’t. Ears aren’t a focal point in a portrait and, as a result, ear retouching is rarely requested outright. However, in professional portraits—especially headshots—subtle ear adjustments can make a noticeable difference.
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Hand retouching is not really a thing for portraits because hands aren’t usually a noticeable feature in the photo. But hand retouching can be important when hands are prominently featured. For example, in portraits where a hand is positioned near the face, or in wedding photos that show a close-up of hands.
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Eyes are important. They are the focal point, the centre of interest, of a portrait.
Viewers always look at the eyes first. Eyes carry emotion, expression, and personality. Sharp, well-lit eyes naturally draw the viewer’s attention and give life to the portrait.
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Hair retouching is a frequently requested edit in portrait photography. Cleaning up flyaway hairs, filling in sparse areas, or smoothing out uneven textures, can make a big difference. Common touch-ups also include covering visible roots, refining part lines, adding highlights, and enriching the overall hair colour, to give the portrait a polished, professional look.
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