Editing...what is it and why is it done? Editing, in context of photography, is the process of scrutinizing an image from top to bottom, removing any imperfections and enhancing areas until the image is perfect. Most photos go through some kind of editing. It is completely up to the photographer wether the edits are as simple as sharpening the image and bumping up the contrast, or major, like cloning out areas. I have the perfect example.

I photographed this couple in a very picturesque location here in Raleigh, NC; however, there was an ugly orange divider in the middle of the lake. This orange thing showed up in all of the pictures that we took in this location. Uuuuugggghhhh! Of course my couple was concerned about it showing in their photos, but I told them not to worry; post processing would take care of it. I cloned that sucker right on out. In addition, I bumped up the saturation, making the colors more vibrant, and cloned in some tree cover to mask the bright spot in the upper right corner. I also made some other adjustments to make it pop more.

Sure I could have delivered the original photo to my client, as is. After all, it's not a bad picture, right? But why should I not take things a step further and deliver as perfect of a picture as possible (say this 3 times, hahaha) to them. So, when you hear me, or any other photographer, talk about post processing, know that we are editing your photos to make the best possible images for your collection of memories.