I started taking photographs professionally in 2002, mainly underwater, where I had 24 or 36 chances to get it right before I’d have to end my dive, dry me and my camera off and change the roll of film if I wanted to go again. In this digital age we not only have unlimited chances to get the shot right in camera but we have endless possibilities to correct or transform the image afterwards. Thank you Photoshop!
Daisy’s milk spots before . . .
and after.
Everybody thinks babies have perfectly smooth skin but in reality most newborns have all kinds of blemishes and other imperfections. Yet professionally captured photographs of newborns always have creamy, ‘porcelain doll’ skin. 3 week old Daisy’s mum called me right before her newborn shoot, concerned we would have to cancel due to an outbreak of ‘milk spots’. I assured her it would be fine, and we had a lovely shoot which produced some stunning images (yet to be shown to her parents as this was only 2 weeks ago!). It took some extra time in post production to remove the spots and redness and run a smoothing filter over the skin, but the results will be treasured for a lifetime – we couldn’t wait for the skin to ‘calm down’ as Daisy was already on the edge of the optimum time for a Newborn Shoot.
Noah’s Impetigo before . . .
and after.
1 year old Noah was brought into the studio at the end of November by his Auntie, who wanted prints as a surprise Christmas gift for his mum. On arrival it was clear that I would have to schedule in some extra editing time due to a sudden outbreak of Impetigo! Noah’s images took a little longer to correct as his skin was inflamed and swollen in places, but we got there, and it’s impossible to tell in the finished image. Once again, we couldn’t wait for the rash to clear up as we had to produce prints in time for a Christmas delivery – a gift which produced tears from the happy recipient which makes it all worthwhile!
I have touched up acne in teenagers, forehead bruises on clumsy toddlers, facial scratches from bike accidents, sunburn, black eyes, scars, tattoos and piercings! There isn’t anything that we can’t fix or remove with the right tools and a little patience.
It is always better to let me know in advance so I can schedule in the extra editing time, and I may be able to give you some tips on how to plan for the shoot. If it’s a last minute skin outbreak or toddler tumble then I know this won’t always be possible but I would still rather chat through the options with you before we meet at the studio.
In addition to skin retouching, we often get asked to whiten teeth, reduce fine lines and wrinkles and head swap!! All of the above is possible. Unfortunately we can’t alter dress sizes, body shape or heights but there are a number of posing tricks I can use in the studio to create the illusion of thinner, longer, shorter, slimmer . . . more on this in a future blog!
To book in a shoot or for more information, please check out the website, the facebook page or email me.
Katherine x
Ocean Eyes Photography 