Once I had finished working the small areas, my last last round of edits were much broader. I started to look at the entire image again and make massive changes. For the second image (original displayed above) I worked the canvas backdrop much more heavily than I did in the first image. This image lacked the darker shadows and more sculpted look that I wanted with the backdrop. I began burning areas to create drama and depth and finally obtained results that I was happy with. I then set to work on other parts. The dress, chair, ground and plants were all worked to bring everything together. After all the dodging and burning, I used the the Sponge Tool to bring up saturation in selective areas. The final step in the process was color correcting and getting a warm tone that I liked.

As you can see, the image making process can be more involved than setting up lights and snapping the shutter. In addition to my camera and lighting equipment, I've chosen Photoshop to help in the process. It's become an extension of the tools I use daily to obtain polished shots for the cient, or my personal work. If you have questions about my editing techniques, or would like to know more about service I can offer, please send a note to todd@phatbelt.com.