My definition of a "Signature Edit" is an image that I'm proud to sign. It's an image that I can look at repeatably over the years and continue to appreciate.
Jeff and Mary posed on the shore of Lake Tahoe the night before their wedding. I felt that this image had the potential to show the depth of their love in a beautiful setting. I enhanced the color, added blur and grain and removed distractions. The final result will look great in a large canvas wrap print.
It would be ideal for a Signature Edit" to begin with a perfect image file. This one didn't. We were on a public beach and were nearly out of light. I was attempting to stay out of the way of my photographer friend Paul who was setting up his lights to practice lighting portraits at sunset. I was using available light and took this photo during a peak moment of interaction between Jeff and Mary.
Photoshop cannot fix everything. Mary and Jeff are an attractive couple. Lake Tahoe is a beautiful setting. Sunset is a great time of day for photography. My camera was ready for the photo and I caught it at exactly the correct time. I had the darkroom skills to previsualize the final image and Photoshop helped me make the final edits.
Wedding photographers are a dime a dozen today. Everyone with a digital camera and Photoshop tries to convince their friends that they have everything it takes to photograph a wedding. You will not find anyone who says that their work is awful or that they charge too much.
If I needed to choose a wedding photographer, I would pay particular attention to the work that they consider to be their best - their "Signature Edits". I would look for their images from weddings in venues within my intended price range. I would find out if the same person who took the samples will actually photograph the wedding.
Nice post Allen! My butt looks amazing!
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