Mike Taylor Photo Arts
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Gallery 1
  • Gallery 2

Comments welcomed and encouraged

Post Production

7/7/2020

 
A headshot of a young, dark-haired man. His blue eyes are intensely looking at the camera.
How do you know when a picture is done?

This can be a tough question to answer. I've asked that of artists who paint on canvas, as well as photographers working in the digital darkroom.  I don't think that there is a universally accepted answer to this question.

Personally, I tend to stop before I get frustrated with an image. If it gets to that point, then I will typically clear all my adjustments, take a break and come back at it fresh and new.

Working an image until I get angry or cranky tends to result in lacklustre results. However there is something to be said for taking the time to experiment. To find a number of ways of doing things that just don't work for that specific subject matter.    I'm told that Edison tried over 3000 designs before settling on a satisfactory lightbulb. It's okay to try. That's exactly how we learn what doesn't work.

My work in portraiture tends to be subtle. Adding a bit of texture, altering colours and tones, bringing up the shadows or perhaps making them more intense as the project requires. I love shooting portraits of people. But they're not truly complete until I have worked them in retouching software.

My personal touch includes the lighting, pose and of course the retouching or as I like to call it, the treatment. The treatment stage typically is 30 minutes in length, but I have been known to stretch it out to a few hours when I just can't decide which path to take the image down.  In times like these, I may even scrub the work and start over completely from the basic image. There are no hard and fast rules. I just do what feels right and what I feel the image calls for.

Many of the images are layered with custom shot backgrounds and textures that I shoot over the winter months. I also will walk the city in search of background materials such as rusty surfaces, scratched metal walls, rocks, clouds and who knows what else. There are thousands of potential options for random textures available. A road trip to the nearest big city would allow me to add even more textures. A great way to spend a day in the city.

Post production as a way to make a portrait into a signature piece is important to get attention for your work. It's with this extra effort that your work will stand alone in a sea of copycat "photographers".  I intend to continue growing as an artist with my personal approach to portraiture. My post-shoot treatments will help me to gain that growth. I hope that you will also find techniques that work for you in your quest to stand apart from everybody else with a camera.

Comments are closed.

    Mike Taylor

    Photo-Artist working a personal vision.

    Archives

    April 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    July 2019
    January 2019
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    October 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    July 2016
    March 2016
    June 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    September 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013

    Meet me on Facebook

    Follow me to Instagram

    Categories

    All
    Book
    Book Publishing
    Branding
    Challenges
    Contest
    Equipment
    Experimenting
    Free Print
    Gallery Show
    Instruction
    Lighting
    Nikon Lens
    Personal Projects
    Peterborough
    Portraits
    Public Display
    Self Promotion
    Shooting A Job
    Social Media
    Spark Photo Festival
    Videos

    Great Book
    Picture
    For those of us interested in better marketing techniques, get this book.

    RSS Feed

    Book a Shoot
    Mike Taylor Photo Arts
    205Wilson Street
    Peterborough ON
    K9J 1S7 Canada

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Gallery 1
  • Gallery 2