I'm honored to be on episode 19: Fostering Relationships + Cultivating Your Creative Business!

Thanks again, Sam! It was so fun to chat with you. :)

Happy Friday!
​Autumn

Here are the two reasons why it's so hard to see our images edited:

1. Why didn't the client tell us they wanted a different style? Communication helps us best serve clients, helping them get what they want. That's our job!
2. Why do clients tag us in these edited photos on social media? This is no longer our work. Authors wouldn't want to be quoted for poems that were rewritten by readers.

My dream is to give clients exactly what they want. Lots of communication ahead of time helps me do that. ALWAYS feel free to share your style, thoughts, preferences, and usage goals. I'm more than happy to work efficiently and effectively to get photos that you need!

As always, I never want to speak for ALL photographers. I just like to share some common industry thoughts. :)

Happy Friday!
​Autumn

CROPPING + ALIGNING
I crop images for a number of reasons. Sometimes I want the subject to be more of the focus, other times I want to crop out part of the image that I don't like (maybe someone began to walk in front of me, or there's a power line I can see crossing the sky at the top of the image). There's a long list of why I might crop a photo. I also align images while I crop them. If I wasn't holding the camera perfectly even to the ground, I use cropping like a level to be sure the photo is straightened.

ADJUSTING COLOR BALANCE
Due to various lighting situations (and how frequently they can change dramatically), I edit the color balance to be sure the image looks just like my eye saw it in real life (that's my "style" of photography). Sometimes the color is too cool or too warm. (See examples below.) Like Goldilocks, I like it just right.

SHARPENING
High quality DSLR cameras do a great job creating sharpened images, especially when using auto focus. However, I use Lightroom to sharpen it even more!

BRIGHTENING
When parts of images have shadows that I want to have more light, I brighten them when I edit.

REMOVING UNWANTED FEATURES
People often think of this as blemishes or flyaways only. Nope! I often want to remove dirt on the ground, a car from the background, someone's name tag, or a fire alarm on the wall (more common than you'd think!). 

I hope that helped explain what I do after the shoot! :)

Happy Friday!
​Autumn


Portraits by Megan Leigh Barnard

Gels are used with flash to add color to photos - think of it like a filter. Today, I'll explain how simple it is to start getting creative with color!

Links, as promised!

• Large gels
• MagMod gels (used with MagGrip)
• Gel swatches

(If you're just getting started with flash, check out this video first.)

Happy Friday!
Autumn