Start to Finish – Post Production Behind the Scenes

When talking about photography, a lot of people hear “post production”, and they often think that photographers only modify their pictures to “embellish” what they captured. Softening filters, color filters, blemish removal, sky swapping, etc. In my opinion though, I think we’re already doing enough to distort the realities we live in, so when it comes to my photography – I try to stay as real as possible. “Why do you edit your photos at all then”, you may ask? The answer is simple. This is because lighting, colors, and other factors can change the appearance of photos making reality appear different in person, online, and when they are finally printed. Post-production in my case, is done to bring the final image closer to reality, and inline with the best conditions possible. I try to portray an image in the closest possible way to what my eyes could see at that moment, and if any further adjustments are made – it’s to eliminate anything that might not be present in ideal shooting conditions due to weather, visual pollution, etc. – and even to correct equipment limitations or flaws. In this blog post, I’ll be sharing a behind the scenes view of my post-production process from color correction to prepping for print. You’ll also see how I select which frames will accompany my beautiful pieces of art before they’re made available for sale in my online store.

In the video below, you’ll see an example of how I usually edit an image before I publish it. The photo I’m using in this demonstration is called Swiss Guard. This is a photo that took a bit more editing than usual, as it was taken in Vatican City about 50 yards away from the subject, in bright sunlight, while the subject was in the shade. The subject, as you can see in the video, is a Swiss Guard that is underexposed because of the lighting in his surroundings. In order to make him stand out more, I created some layers in Photoshop to correct the color in different sections of the image.

Quick Tip: If you plan on printing your photos, I recommend making them just a little brighter (10-15%) than the digital version. This is because once you print them on paper, the luminosity won’t be as bright as paper isn’t back-lit like your screen. Be sure to not over do it though, otherwise you will have an over-exposed image. If you haven’t seen the video yet, go check out the before and after to see what I mean 🙂

Here comes my favorite part! Once I feel happy with the edition results, I can now choose the frame I’m going to use to sell the image. If this is your first time on my website, you can take a look at my shop – you’ll see that I sell my prints surrounded by beautiful frames plus some design inspiration ideas. In the video I show my master document with all the possible frame combinations so I can decide on which suits my print better – sometimes it’s difficult because they are all so nice! At the end I always choose the frame that goes with my personal style, but honestly a lot of frames could suit this print perfectly, so in case someone would like another frame combination there is a custom request section on my website! My prints come in Floater frames and Stockholm frames – which are the ones mounted in a passe-partout. Are you wondering which frame I choose for Swiss Guard? You’ll have to wait to see it once this product is published on my website!

Fun Fact: if you’re reading this, you are one of the first people to know that this image is part of an upcoming HUGE collection announcement for Rome, which will be the first time I’ve ever released any Rome prints for sale! The Rome collection launch is expected sometime in June, 2022. Stay tuned!

If you liked this content and it was helpful for you, please let me know in the comment section, or feel free to share it with someone that may like it as well 🙂

Thank you for taking your time to read this, and I hope you’re having a wonderful day. Cheers until next time!

Scott <3