Wedding photography is a specialised occupation that requires skill, creativity, patience and an eye for detail. One of the most important, yet under-appreciated aspects of wedding photography, is the post-processing that is typically performed over the days afterwards. Post-processing involves taking the raw images captured during the wedding, selecting which photographs are to be delivered back to the couple, and then carefully enhancing them to ensure they look their best. In this blog, we’ll take a closer look at the post-processing workflow for wedding photographers to help customers understand what happens to their photographs when their photographer leaves after a day of shooting.
Backup
The first, and arguably the most important step, is for any photographer to make a back-up of all the photographs taken from the wedding. Before working on any photographs, a full copy should be made and kept ideally off-site or in a cloud account (one benefit of having two wedding photographers is that a complete copy can be stored in different locations). This will help ensure no images are lost due to technical or other processing issues.
Image selection
Once the backup is complete, the photographer will then go through all the photographs taken and select the final images that will be provided to the happy couple. This, and the following stages of post-processing, are typically done in professional editing software such as Adobe Lightroom. Whilst a lot can be achieved in post-processing, it is normal for photographers not to provide every single shot they have taken as some will be preferable than others due to sharpness, composition or expressions being stronger with certain photographs. By selecting only the best images from the event it will ensure the experience is not diminished for the couple when they see the final results.
Image adjustment
Once the photographer believes they have a solid set of photographs, they will slightly adjust the majority of the images including the exposure, light balance and where required, convert the images into black and white. Any adjustments should be done subtly and consistently to maintain a style and look that demonstrates they belong together as a set.
Exporting and Delivery
Once the photographer is happy with the final look and feel of the images, they can then be prepared for delivery to the customer. The images may be exported more than once from the editing software but with different settings to ensure they are optimised for printing or sharing online. Photographers may upload the images to a password protected web gallery and/or provide them as prints within a final package to be delivered to the newly married couple. In addition, the photographer will then be in a position to put together a professional wedding album or picture frames.
Conclusion
Whilst post-processing is not performed under the same pressures of the actual wedding day, it is an integral part of a wedding photographer’s process and requires a similar amount of dedication over a similar number of hours. Ensuring this phase is done carefully and consistently will ensure the final photographs look their best ready to be showcased to the customer.
Looking for wedding photographers in Cambridgeshire? Meachen & Shorey Photography offer natural and documentary-style wedding photography. Please feel free to get in contact if you would like to learn more about what we offer.
