Business Attitudes Toward Photos

1.   We know our website photos are lousy, but we don’t care.
 
These businesses view website photos as a necessary evil. Image quality doesn’t matter to them because photos are used only to fill empty space on website pages.

2.   We don’t know our photos are low quality.
 
These businesses use photos taken by employees or other amateurs. They think all images are essentially the same because they don’t understand how to use photography.

3.   Our photos are technically perfect, but they still fall short.
 
This is especially common with business headshots, where the lighting may be ideal, but the pose or facial expression doesn’t convey the right message. The reason is always that the company hired a low-priced photographer because cheaper is seen as better. Inexperienced photographers don’t understand the true function of business photography.

4.   We know when our photos are weak and we make an effort to fix them.
 
These businesses recognize the importance of brand image and understand that photos are a key communication tool. They make an effort to reshoot or retouch images when necessary in order to maintain their brand reputation.

 

Which one best describes your business?

 

The Cost of Prevention

What will it cost if your photo project fails? If your photographer misses the mark and the photos are not effective, how much will that impact your business? Thousands? Tens of thousands? Perhaps even hundreds of thousands of dollars?

What will it cost to ensure your photo project succeeds? A few hundred or a few thousand dollars more? Far less than the potential loss from failure.

So why take the risk of hiring the cheapest photographer, the lowest bidder?

 

How Retouching Enhances Wedding Photos

Professional retouching can significantly improve wedding photos by correcting technical issues, enhancing skin appearance, and adding artistic effects, all while preserving the natural beauty of the moment.

Correct Technical Issues

Wedding photographers often work quickly and with limited equipment. They don’t always have control over the lighting in venues like churches, hotel ballrooms or parks. As a result, uneven or unpredictable lighting can affect the quality of the images. Photo editing and retouching help correct these lighting issues, ensuring the final photos are visually balanced.
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The Small Details

Some people say they don’t worry about the small details. But if you run a business, that’s the wrong approach. The small details are crucial—they’re the most visible to customers and the easiest to criticize.

If a business can’t get the small details right, how can customers trust it with bigger issues?

Small Details Noticed First

Small details are noticed by customers first. Whether it’s the spelling on your website, the design of an online form, or how promptly you return emails, attention to these details shows customers that you care about providing a good experience.
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When To Retouch Your Family Portraits

Deciding whether or not to retouch your family portraits follows a similar thought process as for individual portraits. But there are a few added considerations since a family portrait is usually a group photo. Here are a few things to consider:

Purpose of the Portrait

If your family portrait is for something formal like a holiday card, a website, or a living room wall, a little retouching can help enhance the image while maintaining a natural look. Common adjustments might include softening harsh lighting, evening out skin tones, or removing temporary blemishes.

For a family portrait that’s for personal use, retouching isn’t usually necessary. A family photo is more about the moment captured than perfection.
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Retouching Dating Profile Photos

Around 2008, a photographer-friend, who owned a portrait studio, started getting customers who wanted dating profile portraits. Cellphone cameras were becoming popular back then, but many people wanted higher quality photos with better lighting. Shooting online dating photos became a popular service at his studio.

When he closed his studio at the end of 2019, he said that the demand for shooting dating photos had dropped to zero. My friend speculated that, because cellphone cameras had become so much better, most people were using cellphone photos for their dating profiles.

Yesterday I retouched two cellphone selfies for someone who said the images were for her dating profile. The image quality was pretty good because she had used a recent cellphone. But there were problems.
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When To Retouch Your Headshot

Deciding whether or not to retouch your portrait depends on the purpose of the image and your personal preferences. Here are a few things to consider:

Purpose of the Portrait

If your portrait is going to be used for professional use (e.g., on a business website or a LinkedIn profile) then a polished image is essential to help convey professionalism. Some level of retouching is a common practice such as skin smoothing, removing blemishes, and brightening the eyes. Just to be clear, “skin smoothing” is not a glamour glow or a soft-focus effect. Skin smoothing evens colour and luminance tones.
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