The Art of Honest Retouching: Making Portraits Shine Without Losing the Real You
In an age where filters are a swipe away and “perfection” is easily manufactured, the true craft of portrait retouching lies in knowing what to leave in as much as what to take out. When it comes to head and shoulders portraits—those close-up, personal shots where every detail counts—retouching is about balance. It’s about helping someone look their best without erasing who they are.
So, how do you retouch a portrait in a way that feels polished yet genuine? Let’s dive into a few key principles that help preserve the authenticity of your subject while still creating a flattering final image.
1. Start with a Thoughtful Image
Great retouching starts with a great photo. Natural lighting, flattering angles, and genuine expressions reduce the need for heavy-handed editing. When the base image is strong, retouching becomes about enhancing rather than fixing.
2. Clean, Don’t Erase
When dealing with skin, it’s tempting to smooth everything out—but real skin has texture. A good retouch doesn’t eliminate pores, fine lines, or all blemishes. Instead, it softens distractions while keeping the overall integrity of the skin intact. Think of it as tidying up rather than repainting.
Some things you can clean up without sacrificing authenticity:
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Temporary blemishes
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Flyaway hairs
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Distracting shine
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Uneven skin tone (subtly)
But consider keeping:
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Freckles
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Fine lines
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Moles (unless specifically requested)
These are part of what makes a face unique and expressive.
3. Eyes and Expression: Enhance, Don’t Exaggerate
The eyes are often the first thing people notice in a portrait. Lightening the whites just a little, sharpening the irises, or darkening the lashes can bring out their natural intensity—just don’t go too far. Overdone eye edits can quickly veer into uncanny territory. If the person’s expression tells a story, preserve that. Authentic emotion trumps glassy-eyed glamour every time.
4. Mind the Colors
Skin tones should look healthy and natural—not too pink, not too yellow, not too orange. Use gentle color grading to correct and enhance tones, not to stylize beyond recognition. Subtle adjustments to contrast, warmth, and saturation can go a long way in adding polish without creating a painted-on look.
5. Respect Individuality
Not every face needs to be reshaped. Resist the urge to slim jaws, tweak noses, or “perfect” features unless it’s a specific request. True beauty lies in individuality—and great portraits capture that uniqueness with dignity.
6. Final Polish, Not a Makeover
Think of retouching like preparing someone for an important event: maybe they put on their favorite shirt, did their hair a little differently, or got a good night’s sleep. The goal is to present a version of them that feels fresh, confident, and true to life—not unfamiliar.
In Conclusion:
Authentic portrait retouching isn’t about chasing perfection—it’s about honoring the subject. It’s the gentle art of refining reality, not rewriting it. When done with care, retouching can elevate a portrait while still allowing the person’s real self to shine through. And that’s what truly resonates.
Want to talk about your portrait retouching workflow or see some subtle before-and-afters? Drop a comment or reach out—I’d love to connect.
📸 Thinking about getting into photography?
📸 Thinking about getting into photography?
People often ask me where to start — and what kind of camera to buy.
My answer: start with curiosity. What do you want to photograph — people, places, everyday moments? Let that guide your approach, not the gear.
Truth is, you don’t need a DSLR to begin. Your phone is a powerful creative tool, especially with manual camera apps and easy cloud storage. As the saying goes, the best camera is the one in your pocket.
Still keen on a camera? For broad, no-nonsense advice I always recommend Ken Rockwell’s site:
🔗 Recommended Cameras
🔗 iPhone 15 Pro Max Review
Also, photography isn’t just about taking pictures — it’s about your whole workflow: computer, editing software (like Lightroom), a good monitor, reliable storage but on iPhone all of that is handled within the Apple ecosystem. If you wanted a little more control Appstore offered a host of camera apps with a more ‘camera’ feel.
For some inspiration, check out photographer Michael Christopher Brown’s iPhone-only work in the Congo for TIME:
📷 An iPhone in Congo
And if you’re looking for photographers to explore:
Walker Evans, André Kertész, Pinkhassov, Olivia Arthur, Johnny Pitts, John Spinks, Clare E. Richardson, Eva Vermandel, Sasha Arutyunova — to name just a few.
🎯 Bottom line: Start simple. Follow your interests. Shoot often.
Photographing Lumiere: A Journey Through Light, People, and Perspective
A Love Letter to Light, People and a City That Transforms
Since 2009, I’ve had the joy (and privilege) of photographing Durham’s Lumiere Festival—every two years, the city turns into something magical, thanks to the creative brilliance of the team at Artichoke.
It’s not just a festival of light—it’s a festival of wonder. Of people wide-eyed and grinning. Kids pointing things out to grown-ups. Strangers chatting in the glow of an installation. From day one, it’s been as much about the people experiencing it as the art itself—and that’s exactly where my lens has always landed.
Yes, the artworks are stunning. But what’s always drawn me in is the feeling in the air. The way light bounces off old stone. The hush before a gasp. The faces lit up—literally and emotionally. That’s the heart of my Lumiere work.
A Different Kind of Glow – Lumiere 2023
Something shifted in 2023. There was a clear tilt toward high-concept pieces from globally renowned artists—beautiful and powerful, but with a quieter, more contemplative energy. Less interactive and playful than in previous years.
So I adapted. Instead of just capturing the public reacting to the installations (as I’ve done for over a decade), I found myself wanting to explore the artworks themselves more thoughtfully. Slower. With a bit more precision. But always grounded in the kind of honest, spontaneous imagery I love.
Mixing the Real with the Intentional
That’s where my Canon tilt-shift lenses came in—those geeky tools usually used by architectural photographers to correct lines and perspectives. I started using them to build images with more control and structure, especially when I wanted the scale and shape of the installations to really sing.
I also began creating composite images—not to manipulate reality, but to stay true to what I was seeing and feeling in that moment. Sometimes one frame just wasn’t enough. This approach let me shape the story more intentionally, while still holding on to the soul of the experience.
But the human side never left. You’ll still find people in almost every frame—standing still in awe, or caught in a quiet moment of reflection. I just gave those moments a bit more breathing space this time.
Still Evolving. Still Listening.
What I love about Lumiere is that it never stands still. Each edition is a new conversation—between artist and audience, city and light, and between me and the work I’m creating.
Looking back over all these years of images, what I see isn’t just a visual record of an event. It’s a portrait—of Durham, of the people who fill its streets with energy and emotion, and of my own evolving perspective as a photographer.
Final Thoughts
Lumiere 2023 reminded me that even in documentary photography, there’s room for intentionality. For slowing down. For letting the art speak in a different tone, and adjusting how we listen—and look.
I’m still drawn to the human moments. Always will be. But how I photograph them continues to shift with the light.
And that, to me, is the joy of it all.
Artichoke recently opened up proposals for Lumiere 2025.
