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The "Golden Rule" for Not Retouching
Do you have a "Golden Rule" for NOT retouching something? If so, I would love to know what it is? Mar 18 13 06:32 pm Link Mine is: "There are no rules." Mar 18 13 07:08 pm Link Mine is, " if it ain't broke, don't fix it! " Mar 18 13 07:16 pm Link Peano wrote: Okay. So I just need to stay open minded. Mar 18 13 07:18 pm Link George Ruge wrote: Yes! I like that one. Mar 18 13 07:20 pm Link I have more of a golden question:"Does this strengthen the image?" Mar 18 13 07:27 pm Link Mine is, will it be noticeable or distracting? Mar 18 13 07:32 pm Link alberta86 wrote: Not necessarily. You can set strict standards and adopt hidebound preferences till the cows come home, if you please. But I think it's a mistake (and a common one at that) to convert one's standards and preferences into rules that are somehow supposed to govern others. Mar 18 13 07:35 pm Link mine is "why should i change this" if I cant find a reason i dont change it.. Then of course the client comes back with "why didnt you change this?" o_O Mar 18 13 07:42 pm Link Gary Alan wrote: And if you do they ask "why did you?" Catch 22 Mar 18 13 07:48 pm Link alberta86 wrote: Photojournalism - exposure & adjustments only Mar 18 13 07:49 pm Link Peano wrote: My problem is that I'm so new I don't have any real standards or preferences. I'm trying to find my way and am curious as to what other retouchers' standards are. I have so many questions but they usually all boil down to "Did I go too far with that?" And then sometimes I shy away from retouching things because I say to myself, "Who am I to change it?" Mar 18 13 07:55 pm Link Maybe it's different for a photographer who does his own retouching, but the only thing I am thinking during the entire process from casting models, securing a location, acquiring wardrobe, setting the camera and lights, choosing modifiers, and retouching is.... what is it I need to do to achieve the image and endpoint I have visualized in my head. Mar 18 13 08:16 pm Link alberta86 wrote: The key (well maybe not the key but perhaps a hint) is to have a goal and idea of what the final image will look like. so you have a context , a framework to help guide your process. It might also be helpful to set some limits at the beginning of an image like "this image will appear natural when I'm done" or" this image will be obviously altered but still appear to be a result of "normal darkroom processes" have a goal and a limit and don't be afraid to follow a tangent. Mar 18 13 08:31 pm Link alberta86 wrote: "touch everything a little bit, but nothing too much." Mar 18 13 09:26 pm Link NewBoldPhoto wrote: Thanks! This was very helpful for me. Mar 18 13 09:33 pm Link It all depends on what the client wants. Some may ask you to go farther than you would normally when given free reigns. Others will ask for a bare minimum of correction. You have to be adaptable. So, follow your instructions as well as you can. Mar 18 13 09:58 pm Link My only rule would be to leave the face geometry alone; no resizing the eyes, no change to the nose shape or ears, jawline etc... I can remove blemishes, skin overlapping under the eyes and so on, but not make someone look completely unrecognizable. Body is a different issue; no qualms there. Mar 19 13 02:33 am Link PhotoHive wrote: What kind of photography do you specialize in? Mar 19 13 08:21 am Link I'll fix whatever the client wants within reality and is willing to pay for. If a size 40 wants to become a size 2....No, it's beyond what anyone looking at the image who knows the person would accept. If some one wants $200 worth of work for $10, that's not happening either. Double chins, smoothing some wrinkles, dropping a few pounds...no problem. If they want something unrealistic I suggest a fantasy art shoot where it's fine to be unrealistic. I have done some teeth straightening for clients that wouldn't be correct for the person, but it was to show some teens what they would look like if they did go in for braces. I checked with my dentist to make sure it was accurate before showing them. They liked the way it looked so much they went and got braces. Mar 19 13 11:07 am Link Downtown Pro Photo wrote: That's cool to use retouching to make a positive change in people's lives. I never thought of that and would love doing something like that. Mar 19 13 05:34 pm Link For clients I retouch whatever the hell they want. For my own shots, there are no rules. Sometimes I leave it untouched. Other times I use photoshop to reveal my what my minds eye see's to others. Mar 19 13 05:39 pm Link When I shoot food, never touch/retocuh the product. Actually you can't fake anything directly with the product. Sure you can use Lucite ice cubes in the soda in the background and even add some fake beads to it in post, never the product being shot. Mar 19 13 05:58 pm Link If you're trying to learn, then maybe don't worry about rules? You may develop your own as you go along - either by your skillset (you might be sub-par at background replacement, for example, so you might avoid it on paying jobs until you're better at it), or by the images you are trying to create. For me, it comes down to the final look. I tend to like to do quite a lot of retouching with the objective that the image doesn't look retouched. Then sometimes I do a project with a more fantasy concept where realism is not the goal. The 'rules', if I have them, are on a project-by-project basis. Mar 19 13 06:28 pm Link Wouldn't you say that a photographer has more creative freedom than a retoucher who is not a photographer does? A retoucher will always be limited by what the photographer sees. Is that a correct statement? Mar 19 13 06:52 pm Link alberta86 wrote: No. Mar 19 13 06:54 pm Link Rule #1 - Never retouch an image without first saving it unedited. You can never re-create the original. Mar 19 13 07:00 pm Link NewBoldPhoto wrote: Well stated. Mar 19 13 07:17 pm Link alberta86 wrote: As you realize, there are no general rules. Mar 20 13 06:26 am Link I won't retouch photos without permission. Mar 20 13 07:14 am Link Peano - thanks for sharing your work. Very nice! Natalia - thanks for the wisdom and articles. I read them all and they were very helpful. I need to consume more art. Mar 20 13 07:32 am Link Well, as a hobbyist I got into model photography to please myself and not others. My motto is "Keep it simple and genuine." As such, I don't retouch. At most I crop, but not very often. If I like the picture I took, I post it. It's that simple for me : ) Mar 20 13 07:48 am Link It depends upon the brief I find. Mar 20 13 04:20 pm Link George Ruge wrote: I tell models this all the time Mar 20 13 04:28 pm Link Peano wrote: Wow!!! How'd you make the sky like that?! That's awesome!!!! Mar 20 13 08:31 pm Link Big A-Larger Than Life wrote: If you mean the last one, hue/sat layers to darken and tint the sky. Gradient at the bottom to create the glow on the horizon. Mar 20 13 08:39 pm Link I will retouch until it starts to feel wrong. Then I backtrack...and start all over again. Mar 20 13 08:40 pm Link robert b mitchell wrote: I guess you're in the same boat with me then Mar 21 13 01:45 am Link alberta86 wrote: I don't really specialize in any kind anymore. I do lots of portrait; not really for fashion. A good part of what I do doesn't fit on ModelMayhem (3D virtual visits, journalism, stock) Mar 21 13 01:38 pm Link Mar 21 13 02:52 pm Link |