The Pleasure & Pain of Post Production

The title speaks for itself. Is post production viewed as a pleasure or a right pain in the derriere??? Well I guess that would depend on the type of photography you are involved in. That could be categorized as either of the following:-

1. Photojournalism.
2. Weddings
3. Magazines & Portrait
4. Your own Portfolio & Family Photos.

1.Photojournalism

I've placed photojournalism first to get it out of the way as that is my line of work. For anybody who is currently involved in photojournalism you will know exactly where I'm coming from. I personally get word/email of a venue I've to cover and away i go. Depending on how much notice you get that is. Sometimes it's a day or so and sometimes it's just a few hours. But the thing about photojournalism is you don't really get a second chance to get another image. Usually it's a quick shot of a presentation or a gathering of people and that's it. It's done. People don't like to be hanging around waiting on a photographer to take a photo, especially if it's a dinner gathering as they are usually ready to eat their own arm. It's also not that feasible to get everybody back together again later in the event as they really will not be too keen to do so. And that is the importance of getting a good shot first time around. This is also good because you wont have much time to spend on post production. Most of my photos for the newspaper have very little editing done to them, maybe a little sharpening, some brightness levels tweaked and a crop here and there but that is it. Quick and easy as seen below...

Take the photo/details and Done!Away to the next shot.

2.Weddings

A couples wedding day is a stressful time for everyone involved including the photographer. Nowadays people are just as worried about having a decent photographer as they are about a venue or the colour of the bridesmaids dresses. I can't speak from experience as I've never photographed a wedding but i have heard plenty of stories(some good and some bad) about having to capture "The Big Day". I have however witnessed first hand the stresses of being a wedding photographer and i have to say from what i have taken from it "it won't be every ones cup of tea". No more so because it's going to be someones keepsake forever.
Yes you might have a little more time to get some great shots of the happy couple and their guests but you cannot take up all of their time. They are there primarily to enjoy their marriage to one another, not to be bossed around all day by a photographer who is worried about getting good photographs. This is were it is a good idea to have a plan of action before the day. If you can get to the venue in the week leading up to wedding then you can pick out a range of places that you will get great shots. It would also be helpful to yourself if you have in mind a range of poses for the camera. You don't want to have all you photos with the same pose. Remember this info is to help YOU the photographer. It will take an enormous amount of pressure off your shoulders and that in turn should enable you to get the images you want. All of this should help towards your post production work. If you have been able to get good shots in the first place then it'll decrease your time doing post work. I can't imagine the stress of shooting a wedding then having to scrummage your way through photos cause you were ill prepared for the event and haven't got anything decent. No amount of post production is gonna help you if you have taken underpar photos. Preparation is paramount and remember if you are shooting a wedding to not only check out locations outside the venue but also inside. Unless you're a super weatherman that is. We cannot predict the weather (not in Northern Ireland anyway) so make sure you cover all areas. Even something as simple as checking the batteries in your flashgun. That could be crucial. Wedding Photographers would usually inform you well in advance that it'll take a few weeks from the wedding day to get your photographs edited and put in the album you've choosen. Once that's completed then the remainder of your bill is usually paid depending on what you've agreed before hand.

Here are 2 sample photos from my wedding proofs at Belfast Castle. You can take a multitude of good photos here from garden shots to sweeping staircases. Remember to check out the venue before hand. Images taken by Hollybrook Photography in 2003.

3.Magazines & Portraits

Slightly different setup when it comes to Magazines & Portraits. With Magazines you you would usually have longer to shoot and get a good bit more leeway. Whether it be Models or Home Interiors you would usually have a few hours with either so the pressure wouldn't be as great as the Wedding scenario. Hair & Make-up can be fixed without rushing and Home Interiors would involve most of the work being done for you as people would want their house to look its best.
Portraits would fall under the same category as you would usually book a slot out to a client which in turn again means you wouldn't feel the pressure as much. Props and Toys for children would come into play here. Remember that with Portraits the person you're photographing doesn't always have to be facing the camera. In fact most spontanious shots turn out better than face on ones.
With this sort of photography you have a little more time for post production work so you can alter and tweak portraits if needs be as shown with a very very quick portrait of myself below. (Stop laughing) =)

As you can see from the marks on my face i was lucky enough to have ChickenPox recently......

And after a quick couple of minutes they have been edited out of the image.

4.Your Own Portfolio & Family Photos

It would probably be most common to spend the greatest amount of time on your own portfolio. Simply because you would be editing during you spare time and let's face it, you want your work to reflect who you are as a photographer. I spend a lot more time on post production for my own work. Why??? Mainly because i like Black&White images and i will try out different moods and shadows on my work. Sometimes i get slightly too engrossed in my images and before you know it a few hours have passed and you've missed dinner or it's midnight. For me thats when Post Prod can get a bit frustrating. When you've eaten up too many hours with one image(s). But then again some people like that, again it's your own preference. Below are a selection of what i am refering to:-

The Original shot is too underexposed for my liking...

(Shot in RAW format)

Again the image is still underexposed but now in my favourite format of B&W.

The Final Shot...As you can see after some editing the image is now brighter. Notice the difference in the trees, the wet tarmac and the background. This looks particulary good after the rain and the car headlights moving the length of the photo in the background have brought more light to the image. For me shooting in RAW is a must.

I've found that less time is spent on Family photos mainly because they are just kept to look at at a later date. That is unless you intend to hang any of them on the wall or put into photo frames. In that case you will probably do some sort of tweaking to the image.

So that is my take on Post Production. I'm hoping that that will give you some helpful advice and insight into the different categories and show you that depending on which category you are currently following will determine how long you'll spend on Post. Also remember that i have commented on other areas of photography that i'm not currently involved in but through previous experiences and multiple stories i have heard through the photography "grapevine" so to speak i have tried to give you some helpful advice. Remember Preparation is everything.