Retouching

In architectural photography there is often a mix of lighting types combined with a big variations in brightness - that is, very light and dark parts in the same scene. Our eye/brain combination is excellent at correcting what we see so that we are largely unaware that the brightness or colour of the light has changed. One of the challenges that I face as a photographer is to understand how a scene will 'look' to camera and either add or take away light so that the photograph looks how we might expect it to - or to create a 'look' that is in line with a client's brief.

I plan shoots so that I get as much right 'in the camera' as possible, however retouching remains a powerful tool in the process of delivering images that properly represent the subject, and meet the brief.

'Before' and 'After' retouching architectural photos I planned this shoot to blend twilight with the integral lighting of the sculpture. I needed the early evening light to strike one side of the metal and provide modelling - showing both form, and providing 'punch'. But I also wanted the contrast of the metal to be emphasised against a darkening sky. The solution was to shoot while the sun was still above the horizon, but to retouch the image to add in the effect of the darkening sky. I continued to shoot as the ambient light levels fell, but this remained the most striking image by way of the side lighting on the metal.