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Photo deliverables to clients: Punched up or true color


9 years 9 months ago #385083 by Miss Polly
I only touch up photos that need to be touched up as a rule of thumb.  I was speaking with another photographer who swore by 'punching up' all photos delivered to clients.  She was saying that all photos, whether they needed it or not, get the colors punched up before she delivers to client.  Her reason was "humans are attracted to vibrant colors, so why no give more of what we enjoy".   This sounded more like a personal opinion, but had some plausibility to it.  The flaw in this would be B&W fans and also, punching up colors can look fake.  Well I'm sure there is a fine line somewhere there. 

What's your 2 cents on this? 
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9 years 9 months ago #385121 by garyrhook
You tell me what you think:

img\def


The version on the left is essentially out of camera with only the exposure adjusted.

I agree that it's a style / preference issue. I like sharp images with vibrant colors, and find faux "vintage" looks dull and uninteresting. As for B&W the comparable procecure is to manipulate contrast and range, I think. I prefer contrast and detail.

The phrase I use to describe my approach is "hyper-real" I want my images to be the best representation of real as possible, without going overboard.

Rule of thumb that I learned from recording music: turn the effect up until you can clearly but just hear it. Then back off.

That's my $0.02.
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9 years 9 months ago #385124 by boriqua latina
make the photo look natural  make it look good with some creativity too ...  ! find your own style... and think outside the box ,  i like black and white  ,  punched up is okkkkkkkkkkkkkk as long as it gives the photo some definition...
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9 years 9 months ago #385220 by Stealthy Ninja
A photographer I know did some family shots and he faded all the colour out and made it contrasty (his style at the time) and the family hated it.

Personally I go for a bit of punch but not totally unrealistic (like Gary's style).

But really it depends who's using it. If they're going to photoshop it later, I'll give them something true to life that they can play with a bit. If they're just going to print and hang it, then I add a bit of punch.
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www.aevansphoto.com
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9 years 9 months ago #385275 by william_cpa

Miss Polly wrote: I only touch up photos that need to be touched up as a rule of thumb.  I was speaking with another photographer who swore by 'punching up' all photos delivered to clients.  She was saying that all photos, whether they needed it or not, get the colors punched up before she delivers to client.  Her reason was "humans are attracted to vibrant colors, so why no give more of what we enjoy".   This sounded more like a personal opinion, but had some plausibility to it.  The flaw in this would be B&W fans and also, punching up colors can look fake.  Well I'm sure there is a fine line somewhere there. 

What's your 2 cents on this? 


If it is your business, I highly recommend minimal viable product. Second guessing client taste can be expensive. You can use three printed versions of one image to show your clients before any shoot. One untouched, two exposure and white balance corrected and three can be whatever extra style you like to add. Let them choose so you save time and effort.
img\def
The following user(s) said Thank You: Scotty, IzzieK
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9 years 9 months ago #385291 by garyrhook
I'm going to add $0.02 more here, because I think it's relevant.

Find your style. Whatever that is, but you need it. Customers will be drawn to that, and your question will be answered. Only you can decide what fulfills your artistic vision.
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9 years 9 months ago - 9 years 9 months ago #385292 by Stealthy Ninja

garyrhook wrote: I'm going to add $0.02 more here, because I think it's relevant.

Find your style. Whatever that is, but you need it. Customers will be drawn to that, and your question will be answered. Only you can decide what fulfills your artistic vision.


Yeh I'd agree with this. People who hire you usually like the style they've seen on your website or whatever. This is the whole concept of the company "Venture". Their over exposed, bright contrasty style is what people are attracted to.
img\def

www.aevansphoto.com
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9 years 9 months ago #385297 by Stealthy Ninja
I'll add here my friend (mentioned above) didn't have any washed out images on his website and the family didn't expect that (new for him) style in their photos. If they saw it all over his site they'd know what to expect.

So Yeh make sure your clients know what to expect. This could be what William said (give them examples to choose from) or digitally.
img\def

www.aevansphoto.com
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9 years 9 months ago #385541 by Dragonflies
All good advice here.  Personally I will always make some adjustments to each photo whether individually or in a batch before I turn over to my client.  
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9 years 9 months ago #385576 by IzzieK
If you follow William's advice which is spot on...then you won't have any problems at all.
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9 years 9 months ago #385592 by Scott Klubeck
Find out what the client is after, if the photos seem flat, yes I'd bump up the colors just a tad.
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9 years 9 months ago #385688 by Stealthy Ninja

IzzieK wrote: If you follow William's advice which is spot on...then you won't have any problems at all.


Except you don't really need to print them out and show them to people... these days I mean. :lol:
img\def

www.aevansphoto.com
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9 years 9 months ago #385724 by Robert Chen
I'll add a little punch, just enough to give it a slight edge.  Shooting in RAW can cause a flat look, so sometimes it's needed IMO. 
Nikon D300 24-70mm f2.8
70-200mm f2.8
50mm f1.4 & 50mm f1.8
105mm f2.8
2 SB800
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9 years 9 months ago #385835 by Chantel Nasbur
I love PP, so all my stuff get's some level of work regardless.
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9 years 9 months ago #386200 by Miss Polly
Love your example Gary, definitely the one on the right
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