Occasionally I get questions about how much editing can change a picture, so I wanted to post an example of the difference and the steps I take when editing a photo.  There are definitely different styles as well as levels of editing, as I'm sure you have seen some of those videos where somebody gets a whole new face and body courtesy of Photoshop.  I don't go anywhere near that far.  Basically I remove or reduce distractions such as blemishes, wrinkles, stray hairs, under eye circles, spinach between teeth etc.  Most of the time if you were just talking to someone your brain would filter much of that out, but when looking at a picture sometimes your eyes are drawn to these small things, so poof, they are gone.

• This first photo is pretty close to what came out of the camera, with some minor adjustments to exposure and cropping for a LinkedIn Profile picture.  After your session you will get a gallery with a bunch of pictures in this state to choose from.

• After I get your selection I start by removing and reducing the distractions.  As you can see from this photo, most things are the same, the photo just looks a smoothed out.

• Once everything looks good with the face, I'll go to work on making some additional tweaks o the color, exposure, sharpness, clarity and anything else needed to make the final photo look great.  This is when I would send you the link to your finished gallery where you can download your images, order prints, and share online.

• Occasionally, I'll get inspired to take it another step by turning the whole thing into a work of art resembling a completely different medium and style such as this pointillism masterpiece.  Requests from clients can also illicit this type of inspiration.

The networking and headshot events are now going to be a regular thing.

Here is the info you need to get a new profile picture in July:

Event details

Tuesday, July 21, 2015 

5:30 pm-8:00 pm

Studio o2o - Room C
584 E 12300 South, Suite 10
Draper, Utah

Cost $40 in advance or $50 day of event.

To purchase in advance - go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/july-networking-and-headshot-event-tickets-17709416341 

Join on Facebook

Here is how the event will work - On Thursday evening - arrive the studio, have a snack, meet some people, spend 15-20 minutes with me getting pictures taken, chat some more, then leave when you want.  Friday I will send you a link to a gallery with 10-20 great options for your headshot that will include a variety of expressions and poses.  Within the next week you will let me know which 3 photos you would like to use for your final headshot and I will retouch and return a final edit for those images.  The retouched finished images will include blemish removal, wrinkle softening and stylized finishing touches to suit the mood of the picture.

If you have any questions you can contact me by email at [email protected] or text or call 801-540-4967

See you Tuesday!

This month for the photo blog challenge the theme is "anything goes."  I thought about a nautical musical theater approach, but instead I decided to explore a bit more of what I had started last month with up close nature shots.  I did take it a little farther by renting an awesome macro lens and taking it out to really get into the small details of the world around me.

This bee was gracious enough to be slow moving so that I could capture this shot.

Roses are sometimes a little cliche, but the depth of field on the macro lens really helped bring a different perspective. 

It amazes me how amazing even a single drop of water can be when you take a little extra time to look.

So, how long do you think that I stood trying to get a great shot of this ant before I realized that he had a bunch of buddies trying to climb up my leg?  The answer - probably too long.

I've always found the symmetry and delicacy of spider webs to be intriguing, and the early morning light and sparkle from the light coming off the lake made this one work well in this picture.

To keep up on more pictures like these, follow me on Instagram