Help fixing wedding photos?
SB emails:
We tied the knot recently and received our professional pictures from our photographer. We had a limited wedding budget so we weren't able to hire a very expensive photographer. Unfortunately that is now my biggest regret as we are pretty disappointed in the quality of most of the pictures : ( It appears that a majority of them weren't touched up at all and some are even downright unflattering : (
I know that with a little editing they can be salvaged so that going forward we can have a handful amazing pictures of the most important day of our lives. I know there are programs out there like Adobe Lightbox/Photoshop that could do the trick.
Could someone please recommend a local capital region photo editor? I would even be open to contacting a photo editing student that knows how to use Lightbox and wants to make some money on the side. Note: I researched a site called Fotofix online but the prices were really high so I prefer to not go to that direction.
Any help is greatly appreciated!! Thank you!
We're betting someone can help SB's photos -- but it might be within a range. At some point a photo can only be fixed so much.
So, got a suggestion for SB? Please share!
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Comments
If you want to give it a shot yourself without buying Adobe, there's free software called GIMP that can do what you want. Learning curve is steep.
McGreevy Pro Lab on Broadway (Albany) has retouching/editing services and a great staff. Looks like it's not cheap but if you have only a select few favorites you want worked on it should be reasonable.
... said -B on Oct 20, 2014 at 4:22 PM | link
There is photo forum at the Guilderland Library. You can get the contact email at their site.
There are also a lot of local meetup photography groups. Go to meetup.com to find the groups and info how to join.
There is also the Schenectady Photographic Society which is the oldest photographic society in the U.S. http://www.schenectadyphotographicsociety.com
Be sure that whoever you entrust with these photos work with a COPY of your originals. Either dupe them yourself or be sure they dupe first then work.
Also, be sure you write up a very simple contract of what you expect, timeframe, and monies agreed upon.
Good luck! 📷ðŸ’💑
... said Katie on Oct 20, 2014 at 4:38 PM | link
Ugh, this is difficult. You want to help... and at the same time, no. It brings back that argument you see so often online, why are wedding photographers so expensive? Taking the picture itself is not remotely half of what you are paying for, unfortunately. There is a lot more involved and post-processing is part of it. The truth is, that very special day is usually not the most flattering day (is any day, really?), it takes work to get there, to twist reality just the right amount. There is nothing wrong with wanting that but this is no "little editing", and you have to pay your photographer fairly. Many wedding photographers recommend *not* to give unedited pictures, as it's a lose-lose situation; you end up with a disappointed couple, and there are now less than satisfying photos in the wild of your work, which reflects poorly on what you can do.
With that in mind, I doubt a wedding photographer would "forget" to post-process the photos, and it would suddenly "appear" that they are unedited. The fair thing to do, IMHO, is not the easiest. I would contact the photographer again, and ask how much it would cost to complete the job. It's in his/her best interest to deliver something you are happy with, and he/she has the highest quality files to work with. Good luck.
... said -S on Oct 20, 2014 at 5:23 PM | link
A friend of mine was an editor/photographer at a studio for 5 years and just went independent. Check out andrewfranciosa.com
... said D on Oct 20, 2014 at 9:03 PM | link
Send me high res files of three of your photos you would like edited/improved. I will work on them and if you like the result we can work out a deal for more images....Would be very reasonable.
... said Karen Mellott on Oct 21, 2014 at 6:46 AM | link
I'm a young local photographer who is breaking into the business. Although I have yet to photograph a wedding, I do take pride in my editing ability and would love to try and help out! If you're interested, shoot me an email at byBrina@gmail.com :)
Besk of luck!
... said Sabrina Nastasi on Oct 21, 2014 at 11:06 AM | link
My friend Eileen would do a great job!
http://www.perfectaphoto.com/category/photo-retouching/
... said Jessica R W on Oct 21, 2014 at 1:07 PM | link
Did you have a contract with the first photographer? Most photographers have in their contract that their images cannot be edited by another person. Any professional editor will be asking if you had a contract and wanting to see the terms.
... said TR on Oct 21, 2014 at 3:33 PM | link
I am a part time photographer who has done a wedding and can edit at a minimal amount. If you want check out my website and reach out to me. We can discuss some options about where to go and what it would cost. My prints aren't expensive and neither are my digital files. The only thing I would ask is that you have complete and total rights to the files you were given. Copyrighting can be complicated, but I will gladly help you to achieve your desired photos.
... said Christopher Benjamin Pounds on Oct 21, 2014 at 4:50 PM | link
You should realise is well that the copyright law means that any editing to do any image with out the original photographer's consent Will fall under the 1988 copyright law. Any minor adjustments to images must be done with the original photographers consent.
Also when you're saying students yet again you're trying to save money and this is where it all went wrong to start with.
... said Hacker on Oct 22, 2014 at 3:51 AM | link
Thank you so much to all the AOA readers for their input and suggestions! It is greatly appreciated!
... said SB on Oct 22, 2014 at 8:44 AM | link