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Having been a portrait photographer for many years, I have grown to love photographing what is natural and real. With the advent of digital photography and tools like Photoshop, the ability to retouch images and “fix” the way people look has become commonplace. Portrait photography clients frequently ask whether I can make them look younger or thinner. The answer to those types of questions is handled on an individual basis guided by what can or can’t be changed in a photograph and still remains natural and believable.

Once you choose your finished photographs, the images selected for printing can undergo a number of corrections. Some basic retouching to your photographs can include minimizing wrinkles, brightening eyes and teeth, evening out areas that are too dark or light, and eliminating some stray hair and facial blemishes.

At times, especially in posed group portraits, smiles can be fixed and blinking eyes can be opened, but only if there is a suitable image to pull the best features from. This technique generally doesn’t work for candid photographs. The extent and limitations of these retouching techniques can be discussed when selecting your favorite images.

Here are some examples of more extensive retouching:

  1. The girl in the white dress gets a new leg from another image, and the bandage is removed from her toe.Portrait Photography: What Can Be Retouched
  2. In the close-up photograph of the young girl, she had been bitten by a bug at the beginning of the session. Her eye swelled immediately. I made a conscious effort to photograph her in a pleasing way, and when I wasn’t able to avoid showing her eye, my team was able to retouch it and make it look “normal and real;” something I constantly strive for.Deborah Kalas - Portrait Photography Retouching
  3. In the third photograph, a woman’s thigh is slimmed. In some situations this is possible. Sometimes not.  Wrinkles from a shirt can be softened drawing less attention to it. A piece of dress can be made longer to cover a piece of underwear that may be showing.Retouched Hamptons Portraits

We will work together with each photograph you’ve chosen. These images will be carefully analyzed for what can and cannot be done to keep them looking real & natural while guaranteeing that you not only look like you, but you look your finest.

Click here for more information on how to choose your finished portraits.
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For me, the two most important things about family photography are having the session be enjoyable and getting you the best high quality archival products I can.

In order to accomplish this, I invite you into my studio for your presentation/selection meeting. Here we can work together to select your favorite photographs. I will be able to crop images and enlarge them and show you other variations including black and white or sepia.  Then I will show you a host of beautiful products that will showcase your photographs.

Here are some things to think about before the meeting:

1. Albums: When clients like 20 or more imagines many choose to put them in an archival bound album.  I offer many options (you can see some of them here). Your album can tell a story about your family at the beach, your home or wherever the session was. Duplicate books can be made for the “other house” and smaller book for grandparents.

2. Wall Portraits: If you are thinking about hanging your portrait, measure the wall you are thinking of hanging the photograph on. Typical sizes are 30 x 40, 24 x 30, 20 x 24, and 16 x 20. Since we print almost all of our work on premises, we can custom create any size you need that fits the image and your wall space. We offer many different finishes and you’ll see each option at the meeting (here’s a preview).

3. Holiday Gifts: Photographs make great Holiday Gifts. Do you have anyone that might enjoy a photograph of your children and family? Bring a written list.

4. Your Office: Does your office have space for wall portraits or something for a bookcase or your desk? Consider sizes that work for your situation.

5. Holiday Cards: Does your family send Holiday Cards? If so, how many did you send last year? Did you have enough or too many or too few? We work with several custom vendors so there are many styles to choose from.

Whether you choose albums, wall portraits, or holiday cards, you will be getting the best quality printing and finishing so that they last forever.