I saw an old image…
How this all came about….. I was recently at a friend’s house and they had an ADORABLE picture framed that I took back in 2014. I fell in love with the image all over again, I mean their pose was adorable, candid, very un-coached. One of those in-between moments that makes a photo shoot complete. But of course being 2 years later, I wondered…. “oh man” how great would that picture look if I re-edited it?? So I finally sat down and tried. The results were not as dramatic as I was hoping haha, but still fun! What I actually learned, was that not ONLY my editing has improved, but the combination of getting images better IN CAMERA and editing, that really brings improvement over time.
Things you can easily pin-point are the blue cast in her white pants have been corrected,
and my greens are much more true to my current style.
Here are a few where you can see the Straight Out Of Camera (SOOC), the 2014 edit, and my new edit. Not shocking results, (I can’t change that my placement of light was slightly goofy back then)…. but small improvements and a little more “pop”
So while I was hoping for some serious WOW FACTOR that I didn’t exactly get…. I have to say that my editing stays pretty consistent now-a-days. Here’s a favorite from 2015, done with the exact same editing process as the 2016 images above… you can really see how getting it right in camera is where the “WOW” comes in. Yes my edit really brought it to life….. but the SOOC image is so much more exciting than the 3 above because I was not shooting in open air, and I positioned the sun much more strategically. So improving in ALL areas is what takes our images to the next level. 
I can’t wait to see where I am in another two years!
So here is the FUN part!!! If you want some editing tips: I recorded myself editing 3 different images from above using my same consistent technique in all of them. All you have to do is leave your email below and I will send you the links. 3 totally free Quick Edit Tutorials in Lightroom! (about 5 min each) YAY! I had so much fun doing them! This will sign you up for my newsletter, currently I only email about once or month, jam packed with goodies and freebies!
NEXT! I have THREE spaces left for the ** Portrait Workshop ** this month! This is where you can improve on the SOOC component and get these images better in camera! I know the last 3 spots will go fast.. so don’t wait!
I didn’t improve over the last three years with practice alone… I invested in education AND started surrounding myself with like-minded women. Keep kicking butt and improving!
If you are already signed up for the newsletter the Quick Edits email was sent last night (whoops! a little early thanks to some techy difficulties hehe).
