Photography isn’t about having a nice camera or just choosing a pretty background. Telling a photographer “that they must have a nice camera” when you see their portfolio is like telling a chef they must be a good chef because they have an expensive stove and pan! HA!
50% of a photography job is taking a good photo. This consists of seeing and manipulating light, posing, using a location to make your subject “pop”, and making your subject feel confident and comfortable in front of the camera. The other 50% is their unique editing style that makes their images cohesive and beautiful. It takes time to curate a specific style and photographers shoot images during a session while keeping their editing process in mind. This style also brings skin tones, eyes and other parts of the images to life!
Clients will sometimes ask to cut costs by asking for the original files for them to edit themselves and to save the photographer time. I can’t tell you how important it is to not give these out for clients to edit and manipulate. You should work with your client to make them happy and to achieve any edits that they desire while keeping your brand and style in mind.
Potential clients want to see cohesiveness in your images so they know exactly what they’re getting when they book you.
It is best not to change how you edit or let your clients edit your images, When they post their version of the photo you took online and give you credit for the photo, potential clients will be unsure about what they’re receiving. No one wants to be surprised with a new style of shooting or editing after investing in a portrait session.
Here are a few before (original files) and after (after editing) examples of some of my images:
