A frequently asked question I receive is “Do you give out unedited photos?”

The short answer is “No and never”.

The only “unedited” photos would be what I call “SOOC–Straight Out of the Camera” photos. They are shot in RAW format. Because I take these photos, I own the copyright to these photos. It is my policy that I don’t transfer these rights. I like to take photos just a shade darker, i.e. slightly“underexposed”, because underexposed photos retain more information in the darker areas of the image. Editing software can often recover some of the lost details in underexposed areas, allowing for more manipulation without severely degrading the image quality. Therefore, when I show clients photos from the back of my camera, these photos often don’t look very flattery. This is more obvious during an outdoor photoshoot vs. in my studio where lighting condition is controlled.

I am going to use a photo taken in-studio to demo the 3 levels of post-editing services provided by me.

SOOC–Straight Out of the Camera

This is an example of a SOOC photo. You can obviously see flaws such as wrinkly background, model standing on a posing box, etc. And it is taken in a much bigger frame.

Color Correction/Color Corrected

“Color Correction” might sound familiar to you as many photographers give out “Color Corrected” photos in their package and it is usually in a large quantity. I do color correction during the proofing stage. I would go through the culling process and eliminate obviously bad and repetitive images. Then I crop and straighten the images according to composition rules, and apply color and lighting adjustment. Color correction is relatively a quick fix for photos and therefore photographers can afford to give out a large quantity. I typically provide color-corrected photos for event customers.

Signature Edits

Signature edit is a series of standard workflows that I created and follow through during post-editing stage. It reflects my style and the consistency is how QUALITY is perceived. I pay great attention to details. Signature edit includes color correction and in addition, it includes advanced editing techniques such as background fix (wrinkles removal, backdrop extension, digital composite, etc.), skin retouching, body contouring, expression/posture enhancement, head-swapping (see an example below), advanced color and lighting adjustment…Images that are signature-edited are meant to be printed and printed big. That is why I spend so much time editing each photo, making sure they are close to flawless. For that reason, I only include a reasonable number of signature edited images in each collection to ensure quality standards are met. Signature collections are often offered for baby milestone photoshoots, family portraits, and headshots.

Fine Art/Painterly Edit

A fine art painterly portrait refers to a portrait created by an artist with a focus on artistic expression rather than strict realism. It often involves using various painting techniques, brushstrokes, and colors to convey emotion, mood, or personal interpretation. When used in digital photography, these techniques are applied during post-editing using modern software. The term “painterly” suggests that the portrait has qualities akin to a painting, where the brushwork, texture, and overall composition a reemphasized over precise details.

Fine art portraits are also meant to be made for print. They are high-end products and I carry a luxury line just for them. An incredible amount of time is spent on these types of edits and therefore we don’t yield a high number of deliverable images per Fine Art portrait session.

I typically offer fine art portraits to styled sessions such as maternity photoshoots and couture photoshoots.

The difference you see between Color Correction and Signature Edit might not be super distinct due to digital images being compressed when presented in a website blog format and viewed from an electronic device. I guarantee you will see the difference when they are printed.

Here is an outdoor photo comparison. The top is color corrected. The bottom is signature edited. The difference is a bit more distinct with this set as there are quite some distractions in the background and the lighting is not controlled. But you get the idea by now.

Head-swapping

Head swapping is a commonly used technique for photoshoots involving large groups and/or small children. It is for clients who prefer a classic portrait look where everyone is looking at the camera and smiling. I will take many photos of the same series, pick out good candidates, and combine all the good ones into one “Picture Perfect” image.

Photography by MuSen prices the sessions with editing complexity taken into consideration. We always value quality over quantity. Contact us now to discuss your next dream photoshoot.