The photo-editing program Photoshop was released in 1988. For the first decade, Photoshop was a crude tool for the layman, an artsy tool for the collagist, and a useful tool for the professional pre-press operation. As we approach the end of Photoshop’s second decade, the software is changing what we see and how we take photos. Powerful and inexpensive computers make Photoshop, and similar photo editing programs, available to the masses. Photoshop allows us to go beyond the traditional limitations of photography’s technology.

Not withstanding the debate as to what is real in a photograph, the wide spread use of Photoshop allows the world to make better images, perhaps not what is there but what could be there. To a greater extent than ever before, the photographer can pre-visualize how an image will become. The final image combines a two step process, first capturing the raw photo or photos and then creating a final image in post-production were the skills of a master printer and retoucher come together with the imagination of an illustrator. I have been working with the same digital assistant and retoucher, Niles Hatch, for almost four years.

Collage & Illustration : Removal, Replacement & Scaling

Frequently we find ourselves in a position where the actual construction might not meet the designers original vision. The most often encountered problems are necessary fixtures that detract from the intended design, or the lack of a fixture that was intended to be included. Other obstacles that we overcome by using Photoshop would be to change the scale and proportions of the room slightly to alter the emphasis of where the eyes will focus, without losing compositional elements.

Correcting the Distortions of Optics : Parallax & Warping

Another common problem that we encounter is shooting in small spaces. This can make it nearly impossible to compose a shot that incorporates all of the necessary compositional elements without getting distortion due to the angle we have to shoot at. Distortion is also added from the very wide angle lens that we have to shoot with in tight quarters. This is easily fixed in post production to create images that any designer or architect would be proud to display in print.

Lighting & Color Balance : Selective Color, Burning & Dodging

Light… the main tool and biggest limitation of the photographer. One of our main goals when lighting a scene is to accentuate the design through our use of light, which can put us in a position to trade off quality and color of light for stylistic concerns. Color casts and harsh shadows are blended or eliminated to make the lighting feel more natural and to remove distractions to the design.