Edits vs Natural Part 1

Please... Forgive the badly edited pictures. Part 1 of this post is to refresh my memory about where I came from, where I am now, and where I want to be. 

Many moons ago, I picked up a 35 mm SLR and decided to take pictures, waste film on random items, and get others mad about wasting the film. Years later, I used a very expensive point and shoot  and captured the most gorgeous (unedited) picture of a future ballerina and realized I had an eagerness to grow. No, I was not educated, and I used the same editing software that about 1,247 from my hometown used for their celly pictures, and yes.. I was weird to think it was AWESOME. In those years since, I have changed.. I found the style I love! And overly edited pictures are not them! If someone charges $250, $400, even $750 for plain Jane pictures.. You better love their style! While I can count the times on two hands that I've actually made money from my sessions, it doesn't change how I feel. I don't charge for edited pictures. I charge for natural light portraits that you will love or you get your money back!

In conclusion, if the picture doesn't look natural or real.. It probably isn't. A fellow photographer who is seriously THE best and has been doing this for well over 10 years once answered this question.. "What editing software do you use?" With this response... "YOU EDIT? EW."

I now know why!!! I see fake over or under exposed clouds. Those aren't natural. I see flawless skin. It's nice, but I see where the brush strokes are. I see a funny tint to the overall color. Those can be great, and sometimes they are annoying. You see crazy scary brown, green, blue and hazel eyes that sparkle. Wow. I even had to laugh at an actual feature you can add to pictures for fake sun flares. They are nice! But it's easy to find! Whether you like edited pictures or not is not what this is about either, it's about photography styles costing more money when it's not what you want. Please, oh please! Whatever you do! Do not ever book for a photographer who charges per hour, who has a style you don't like, and who charges because they have a fancy point and shoot. Know the difference. Google it!! 

Now... For your pleasure... Enjoy my first first edited pictures for part 1. I did laugh at these... And I will be removing them in the coming weeks..