If you know Photoshop and Photo Post Production Techniques I have a Question

Our photographer used different filters for many of our pictures which I just found out because we're trying to put our wedding album together. I don't know enough about Photoshop or photo post production to know if I can change the look to real, full color through Photoshop or a similar program.

 

He used an Infrared filter that makes pictures look black and white (I want them in color for our album). He also used some type of infrared filter that makes black look mint green and fuchsia look white. I truly hate these ones! Is there anything I can do with these photos (I have some on a disc) to make them look normal?

 

I didn't go to Mexico for washed out, mis-colored photos! He gave me photos of the resort where all water, sky, and trees are black while everything else in the picture is a deep, mocca brown. I just want normal pictures!

You can't take a B&W photo & bring back the color. You can possibly fix washed out. Can you post some?

Here is a smattering of photos that show what the filters make our pictures look like. I really can't understand why he would make sky and water look black when Mexico is so vivid. I understand he wants to add our wedding to his portfolio but from what I read online Photoshop can create these looks.

 

The fourth one down is the one my mom's dress should be black and my sister's dress should be bright fuchsia. Maybe I am not artistic enough but these are not what the ones in his portfolio looked liked and I discussed in emails prior to our wedding that we were choosing him because he is the only photog who's work we saw that used bright color. I also told him that I was picking Costa Rica or Mexico for the color and background.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh my you were not kidding. That is horrid!

 

He probably has photoshop actions to do these effects. You open the picture, press play & the action creates a look. Actions can be used tastefully to enhance a picture, but they are often overused to make things look terrible.

 

The problem is, with only these files you can't really go back. The best option would be to turn these in to a nice black & white.

 

Is he not giving you the disc of full color images anymore?

 

Since nothing else on his site looked like this, I really think it's wrong that you were given images with these funky edits & he won't give you clean images now. I don't think they are artistic at all. They just look like someone got carried away with a new action set. I know when I first learned how to use actions I did some pretty horrible things to my images.

send him this

 

Can you ask for the unedited files?

At one point he was giving them to her only with the purchase of an album. Actually, two albums. She was having to buy his studio album.

Morgan, you are too funny!! This had me laughing so hard!

Yes, he is still planning on giving us a disc with unedited photos but because he used a filter on so many of them I'm not sure just how clean they will be! I feel that from the moment we hired him he's been all about getting great work for his portfolio and not about making the bride happy. I loved his passion, his years of work plus his degree in photography and I do think he does great work. I am at a loss now. I think I may just tell him that I'll still pay for his album but that I want our unedited photos and be done with him. I know a DIY album may not turn out as nicely as one from him but I refuse to use the gross ones with black water and weird dresses.

You think the filter was on the lens? Not something done afterwards in photoshop? If he did it afterwards, he should still have the pre-photoshoped version that he can do clean processing on.

Having your wedding treated like the top priority is to be a portfolio builder is pretty common when you work out a trade of travel for photography. I know it isn't the case with everyone. But, I definitly felt that way with my photographer. I felt like we had to do certain things to keep her happy. And when I'd suggest pictures I wanted to have, she'd rudely remind me that she wasn't making money off of my wedding.

I still ended up with pictures I really loved, but I know I would have had a less stressful experience if I would have hired someone instead of making a trade. I also hired someone who's pictures I loved, but her style didn't suite us. I wasn't really interested in having a bunch of ultra-sexy shots. That is she style she likes. I felt like we just had to do those shots make her happy. I like them, but they aren't the ones I love or would put in my album. If I had to do agian, I'd find someone with a style that suites our personallities. That is just what I did for our anniversary photographer. I found someone that shoots couples being silly & having fun.

Photography is such a hard thing to shop for because you don't realize what you wish you did until its too late. I've been meaning to do a post with some tips for picking a photographer. I think I'll work on that today.

Yes, I'm pretty sure the filter was on the lens because he made reference to the fact that he can't change the pictures at all because that's how they were taken.

 

I actually wanted Elizabeth Medina but FI didn't like her images and she didn't email me back after 1-2 emails so I just kept looking. Now I am kicking myself so much! I also have a list of things that I wish I had done while looking for a photog and in guiding a him more clearly. I was really excited because even with paying everything for the two of them we still came out spending less money than if we had paid for a local photog. I never really looked at RM photogs besides Elizabeth Medina. I sure wish we had!

 

I admit I got a great deal for my BD photos but he didn't try to be artistic with those so I am really taken aback that he did so many "artistic" ones for our wedding.

 

Thanks Morgan!