My Editing Style

Editing is where the artistry truly comes to life. Each image I deliver is carefully refined—shaped little by little—until the final masterpiece shines through. On average, I spend 15 to 45 minutes per image, depending on the type of session and the unique needs of the photo. My goal is always the same: to create portraits that are natural, polished, and timeless, while still feeling authentically you.

What Goes Into a Final Edit

Every finished portrait receives a thoughtful, detailed edit that can include:

Color & Exposure Correction – balancing tones, enhancing natural light, and ensuring consistency throughout your collection.
Distraction Removal – eliminating unwanted background elements so the focus stays on you.
Facial Refinement – softening skin, brightening eyes, adding a natural glow, and applying subtle “digital makeup” when needed.
Detail Enhancement – sharpening and highlighting hair, defining eyelashes, and bringing out textures that add depth.
Lens & Angle Adjustments – slimming or reshaping areas subtly distorted by camera perspective.
Group Shot Perfection – fixing closed eyes or swapping expressions to ensure everyone looks their best.
Flaw Removal – erasing blemishes, scratches, cuts, or under-eye circles while keeping a natural appearance.
Final Artistic Touches – adding warmth, depth, and style to give each photo that signature Bradly Bennison Photography finish.

My Philosophy

I don’t believe in heavy-handed or overly “fake” edits. Instead, my editing style enhances the natural beauty that’s already there. I want you to look at your portraits and see the very best version of yourself—polished, radiant, and real.

Detail Editing Timelapses

Here are a few time-lapse videos to give you an idea of what my editing is like.

My Editing Style Emphasizes Colors, Contrast, and Texture

My editing style emphasizes rich colors, balanced contrast, and crisp texture. I aim to give every image an eye-catching pop—enough to draw you in, but never so much that it feels overdone. There’s a fine line between oversaturation and enhancement, and I carefully walk that line to ensure each portrait remains tasteful, vibrant, and full of life.

My Editing Style Correctly Exposes Each Image

My editing style focuses on achieving the perfect exposure for every image. I carefully balance highlights and shadows so that the brightest areas aren’t blown out and the darkest tones still retain detail. This approach often creates a look similar to HDR—rich, dynamic, and full of depth—while still remaining natural.

I always shoot in RAW format, which captures the maximum amount of detail in both bright and dark areas. Editing in RAW gives me the flexibility of a greater dynamic range, allowing me to bring out subtle details and achieve the best possible balance between light and shadow.

To ensure my subjects are never underexposed, I use a thoughtful combination of external flash and reflectors. This added light control helps shape each portrait, giving it clarity, dimension, and a polished professional finish.

My Editing Style Removes Distracting Elements

My editing style also focuses on removing distracting elements so the attention stays where it belongs—on the subject. For example, in this image, a door in the background was pulling focus away, so I carefully removed it. This type of editing is never quick, but it allows me to extract the greatest value from each image and deliver a final product that feels like a true masterpiece.

I also make subtle refinements to enhance the natural beauty of my subjects. In this particular portrait, I rounded the belly slightly to create a more balanced, symmetrical look. Since the client was over five months pregnant, I also softened facial features to ensure she looked like her radiant self before pregnancy, while still keeping the image authentic.

This single image took about 45 minutes of detailed editing, but the result was a portrait that truly reflected the beauty, strength, and story of my client.

My Editing Style Focuses on the Details

My editing style is all about attention to detail. Every fully touched-up image goes through a careful process to ensure it looks polished while still feeling natural and true to the subject.

When working on the face, I pay special attention to the eyes—because the eyes are one of the most defining features of a person. They tell stories, reveal emotion, and create powerful connections in portraits. I make sure the eyes are sharp, bright, colorful, and enhanced with natural catchlights so they immediately draw the viewer in.

From there, I carefully refine the skin and facial details. This includes removing blemishes, scratches, stray hairs, and softening skin for a natural, flattering look. I reduce the appearance of wrinkles and lighten dark circles under the eyes—always with a goal of enhancing, not changing, the authentic beauty of my clients.

And that’s just the start—each portrait receives thoughtful, detailed attention so the final result feels like a work of art.

My Editing Style Focuses on You

Every client is unique, and I believe your portraits should reflect not only your personality but also your comfort level. That’s why I’m always willing to work with you on the finer details of editing. During our planning session, I’ll take time to understand your preferences—whether you prefer a natural, lighter touch or a more refined, polished look.

If you feel shy about certain features or have areas you’d like me to pay special attention to, just let me know. My goal is to help you look and feel your very best, so you can step in front of the camera with complete confidence.

Have questions? I’d love to chat—send me a message.

Ready to create portraits you’ll treasure? Book your session today!