Retouched or not? You decide.

 During a shoot, I often show people their images - pointing out little things that can "help" them achieve the final image that they want.  I talk about body position, hair strands, showing teeth, or smiling with their eyes.    But the image, SOC - Straight out of the Camera - is generally a little different than what I'll show you after processing. 

Above photo: no retouching. 

Take a look:
The first image is SOC.  There is no retouching - this is how it was shot.  

This second image has undergone some retouching - but no photoshop. 

Simply, her face was made lighter and brighter, as were her eyes and her teeth.  The slight darkness under her eyes is gone, as is the small blemish near her eyebrow.  A slight silhouetting of the image enhanced it even further, bringing your eyes to her face.

What do you mean by "strobist" and how does that compare to "natural light"?

      Shooting strobist style means using strobes - studio strobes on location.  Some strobists bring umbrellas, others, like me, prefer softboxes.  With a battery powered on-the-go studio, I can go almost anywhere you need me and get great results.  Other strobist use "flashes" that can detach from their cameras and become triggered by a remote.  

     Regarding the photo on the left: I was using one large softbox to diffuse the light on the happy couple, exposing for the background.  Note how the trees are darker, and the couple really stands out due to strobist lighting.   The photo on the right was taken "natural light".  In order to get their ski tones right, the background appears blown out a bit.  If I had exposed for the background, the couple would have been too dark, and their faces barely discernible.
     
     The natural light that day?  These photos were taken in open shade, on the side of a house at approximately 3:30-4pm.  Snow was falling, so the sky was a superb diffuser.

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