How Much Should Your Wedding Photographer Photoshop Your Face?
How much retouching do you want in your wedding or engagement photos?
Should we make you look slimmer? Sharpen your features? Or keep things as natural as possible?
I've seen photographers in Korea who do a lot of retouching (they can really turn you into a different person), and I've also seen photographers in the U.S. send galleries with only the lightest touch.
At INNER DELIGHT STUDIO, I believe every person is fearfully and wonderfully made. I want to capture the beauty you have, in the most beautiful way possible. I never want to edit your face or body so much that you become someone else. I want to honor who you truly are right now, and preserve that moment. I want those photographs to be something you can treasure for a lifetime and pass down through your family for generations. Not to impress anyone, but for you and for the people you love most to cherish. That's why I am very careful when it comes to retouching your features.
So my approach to retouching comes down to two things.
(What's commonly referred as "Photoshop" is called "retouching" within the photography industry.)
A Photograph Captures ONE Moment
A photograph freezes a single instant and lets us look at it for as long as we want. In everyday life, that's not how we experience each other at all. Our bodies and expressions are constantly moving, and we rarely stare at someone standing perfectly still for a long time.
Because a photo holds still what real life never does, something we'd never have thought twice about can suddenly stand out. A laugh, an embrace, a turn, or even a held pose can create tiny changes in the body that last only a fraction of a second. A fold of skin on the neck or chin that wouldn't normally be there, a jawline that momentarily disappears mid-laugh, an arm slightly compressed while holding a pose, an awkward expression that would have passed in the blink of an eye. In real life, none of it registers noticeably. But when frozen on a screen or framed on a wall and seen again and again, it can be bothersome.
To me, gently refining those fleeting moments is about preserving how you actually felt and appeared in real life.
Photography is an Art
On the day of a shoot, or on a day as special as a wedding, everything is prepared with special care. You wear clothes you wouldn't wear on an ordinary day. More time and attention go into hair and makeup. We choose a beautiful location. And as the photographer, I bring together the best light, composition, angle, and pose. All of this effort goes into showing and capturing your very best self.
Which is why the final step, the edit and the retouch, is where all of that effort is honored and brought to completion. After color grading, most of my photographs receive a basic polish: small skin distractions, stray hairs, and background elements like exit signs or fire hydrants. It's a process meant to clean up the scene, in respect to the art of the photograph. And for a handful of images where it will genuinely elevate the piece, a subtle, natural touch of retouching is added as well.
But I will never retouch you into a different person or drastically alter your face or body.
My goal is to deliver photographs that anyone can look at and still recognize as a beautiful, genuine reflection of you and that moment.
Below are examples of our subtle edits. Used images of my wife and I as examples to protect client privacy.
Getting It Right in Camera Comes First
And ultimately, retouching is only the final step. The best approach is always to get as much right as possible in camera.
I guide you into poses that suit you, helping avoid awkward expressions or positioning from the start. And if there’s something you’re particularly self-conscious about, let me know; I’ll keep it in mind and direct you in a way that feels natural and flattering.
Even then, when photographing movement and candid moments, there may still be images that benefit from a little refinement. When that happens, I retouch them carefully.
All of this takes extra time and attention, but these are photographs you may keep for the rest of your life. I believe they deserve that level of care. And of course, I’ll communicate with you throughout the process and tailor the level of retouching to what you’re comfortable with.
On a day when you’ve put so much care into looking and feeling your best, I want to photograph you beautifully, edit with respect for both you and the art, and deliver a gallery that continues to bring you joy every time you see it.
With a desire to document your beauty as truthfully and beautifully as I can,
Dachan from INNER DELIGHT STUDIO