DISCLAIMER: I am not a technical nerd, so there are some of you super smart technical photographers out there who may find I don’t use my terms correctly, but this is how I understand it, LOL.

With that said, since we spend so much time getting the image right (correct) SOOC, we do very minimal editing. We haven’t blogged about this yet, but we also use ExpoDiscs to help get the white balance correct (or really close to it). Because, we shoot in manual and use the expo-disc, in all reality, the 4 things I will do in LR are: (1) double check white balance, (2) adjust exposure, (3) adjust the RAW file and add a little contrast, and (4) desaturate if I want a black and white.

1 – Adjust the White balance.

As previously mentioned, we use the expo-disc to help us get our white balance. Previously, we would always shoot on Auto White Balance (AWB) but found it to be far too cool (blue). The few times I shot on a preset white balance (tungsten, shade, flash, etc.), it would get the temperature close, but the tint would always be at zero (0). I also tried shooting in Kelvin (custom temperature in the menu) but the same problem: the tint was not customized, only the temperature. The temperature + the tint = white balance. In general, we prefer a slightly warmer picture, but sometimes the expo disc is still too warm for us, so I will pull it down in LR. You can simply adjust those two sliders in LR to your preference. Experience will help you learn whether you are attracted to cool images, or warm images, or maybe somewhere in-between (perfection!).

2 – Adjust the exposure.

This is really simple. Drag the “exposure” slider in LR until the picture is perfectly exposed. Again, since we are shooting in manual and getting the image near perfect in camera, this adjustment is usually very very minimal. I always expose for the skin (usually the face), which usually means I may bump up the exposure just a smidge.

3 – Adjust the image since it is a RAW

Ok, so this is where my “technical” understanding may be lacking a little bit, but basically, RAW files are completely “un-edited” and are a little flatter than JPEGs. The image you see on the back of of your DSLR is a JPEG preview so don’t be alarmed if it looks just a little flatter when you pull the RAW file into LR. This is where most of the adjustments come into play. Here is the basic edit we apply to every image:

Contrast (+10), Shadows (-25), Blacks (-40), and Vibrance (+15)

With that said – this is only our basic edit to each picture. Each image has unique aspects to it, and each of these sliders will be different for different images. On some images, I drag the blacks (probably my favorite slider) all the way down to -80 and on other images, if they are naturally contrasted, it may only be -20.

4 – Convert image to Black and White

If you are a black and white lover, you MUST check out Justin & Mary’s portfolio! I stole this basic edit from Justin, so it was only fitting to give them a shout-out. Realistically, the only thing we do to convert to a B&W is drag the saturation slider to -100. I may also drag the blacks down even more to add a little more contrast and also watch the exposure (you don’t want it too bright as a B&W).

5 – Other Adjustments

There are also a handful of tricks we apply to individual images, but not necessarily every image. (a) Vignette – you don’t want this to look like it was from the 1980′s, but sometimes I will drag the slider to -5 just for a small touch…rarely I will go to -15 if the image feels flatter than normal. (b) Highlight slider – due to our shooting style, the sky gets blown-out majority of the time; but, on an overcast day, you can drag the highlight slider down (-50) without having major defects and it will put some lovely clouds back in the sky! (c) Skin Retouching – first, click the adjustments brush and drag the clarity down (around -70)….next just simply apply to the face/skin you want to smooth out. Simple! (d) Spot Removal (healing mode, not clone) – you can use this tool to remove blemishes or small unwanted details. (e) clarity – I don’t usually touch this because it only makes pimples look bigger, wrinkles look more defined, etc. However, sometimes if an image is just a little “soft” I will drag this up to about +25. I also increase the clarity on detail shots such as rings to help it pop a little.

That’s basically it! It may sound and look overwhelming, but editing in LR has been the best decision for our business in terms of workflow! It has all the same basic adjustments as photoshop, but processes your images a million times faster! We very very rarely even use PS anymore because LR is just as great!

Let me know if this leaves you with any other questions or conerns. Again, this is just “our” editing/shooting style. You need to find what look you like and how to edit accordingly. We prefer a very natural, clean look and we feel this basic edit achieves that best. No presets, no actions, just beautiful images :) Here’s a screen shot from our NYC engagement session at Central Park. I simply applied our basic edit to it, and that was it! Done!

Happy Editing Y’all!!!

Once they met, they both just knew…and if you are ever around them you would know too. It is so easy to see how much they love each other. In fact, when they first started dating their friends used to count how many times on a single night they would kiss each other. Michael is from Egypt, and works in finance, and Katie is a Texas girl who moved to the city to work in fashion, their worlds seemed totally separate, but thankfully their paths crossed.

We met up with Katie and Michael in Central Park this past week for their engagement session. We had so much fun with the two of them. After their session they took us to the cutest bakery, and we enjoyed the yummiest treats and chatted about their wedding. We are sooo excited for their wedding this October.

We asked on FB for recommendations for great places to eat and ending up eating at 5 Napkin Burger which was amazing, we sat outside since it was such a gorgeous day and had fun watching people pass by on the street.

We took the subway over to the Empire State Building which is super touristy, but we did it anyway. The view from the top was spectacular, and we were able to see so far since it was such a clear day.

We did unfortunately get a little lost at one point so we took a picture to document our sad faces when we realized that we had been walking in the wrong direction on our way back to our car.

Katie and Michael are probably two of the sweetest people you could ever meet. When we met them in the park Katie gave me these gorgeous tulips. It was so sweet of them, and ironically I have been telling Jeremy for a few weeks that I wanted to get some tulips because they are just the perfect symbol of spring.

After we wrapped their gorgeous session they took us to The Magnolia, which is a fabulous bakery cafe in NYC. It was divine, Jeremy had a brownie, Michael had the banana pudding, and Katie and I each had the blueberry crumble…and let me tell you…I have never had a blueberry crumble near that good.

We drove home so grateful for life. We are thankful for what we do, and the opportunities that it has given us to meet some of the most amazing people. We are thankful for our family, and our precious little Stella who we couldn’t wait to see, and we are thankful for each other.

Here is a little sneak peek of Katie and Michael’s session in Central Park…I can’t wait to show you more of these two tomorrow!

After their first choice of a location didn’t work out, Julie mentioned this lovely park in Fort Worth that she thought would be perfect for their engagement photos. It was the perfect place for their gorgeous engagement session. They are getting married in July and we can’t wait to be there to document their wedding day.

I shared with the instagram world how I put my iPad or iPhone inside a bowl to amplify (Jeremy said that I incorrectly used the word magnify) the sound. To answer all the questions that I got, YES!!! it really does work!

I am so happy that it is spring, because that means that we get to grill. Jeremy grills a lot in the summer…we love the fresh summery taste and I love that I don’t have to cook…because grilling is totally a man job in my book.

Stella was introduced to mozerella sticks this past week, and she was so enthralled with how stringy and delicious the cheese was…but really, aren’t we all?

After almost two years of trying to convince me, Jeremy finally convinced me to join our church choir with him. I have been in choir forever…so it has been fun to get back into it and sing together again…especially since when we met in college we sat next to each other in choir.

I think the act of thinking through and writing down the things that you are saying “yes” to and the things that you are saying “no” to is huge. It made me really think about what is important to me and what I want to eliminate in my life….so here it is.

Corina and Matt, Thank you for letting us be a part of your wedding. We had so much fun with the two of you and we can’t wait to see where life takes the two of you! Love ,J&K

This past week we had our first Pursuit 31 Dallas meetup and it was so great. Thirteen of us met and talked about photography and ourselves, but more than that we talked about our love for our Savior. At the end of the night, Amanda and I were chatting as the group slowly left, and we both talked about how we wanted the group to be focused on Christ. We love photography, and it is so great to have that in common, but Jesus is our life.

So…we are so excited to announce that Amanda and I will be hosting a Bible Study group starting in just a few weeks.

The only textbook we will have is God’s Word, so all you will need is your Bible, a journal, and a pen. We will meet once a month, and then have a month to read God’s Word on our own. We will be meeting on Thursday evenings from 7-9 at Amanda’s home in Grapevine, TX and we will start by studying the book of Colossians. Our kick off date is May 23rd! When we meet together we will share what God is showing us, and I just know it is going to be amazing to see how He will often teach us the same things, and often teach us very different things. His Word is so powerful, and we would love for you to go deeper with us.

We would love for you to join us! Feel free to leave a comment here if you are interested and give us your email address. We will be sending out more information soon! If you have any questions let us know! We are so excited to see what God will do.

Our friend Rebekah was in town for a wedding so we got to spend a day together which was amazing. We shopped, ate great food, shot a mini session of her, and even introduced the girl to Jamba Juice…and for the record I am not the only one that is addicted to the stuff…I saw her post another picture of it the very next day…made me feel better about myself.

I have written before about how I study the Bible and that a big part of that for me is journaling. So, when I finished up a journal last week I needed a new journal to take its place. I had seen these lovely Rifle Paper Co. journals at Target a few weeks ago, and passed them up. When I realized a new journal and went back they were gone, luckily, one of the perks of living in a big city is that there are lots of Targets so I was able to find them at another. They are so pretty and I love starting my day with one of them.

Stella’s new favorite movie is Enchanted…and I have to admit…Jeremy and I laugh every time it is on. The music is catchy and there are so many funny one liners…I am glad our 18 month old has good taste in movies.

I recently became the small group leader for the DFW branch of Pursuit 31 which is an online group for Christian women photographers. We had our first meetup this week and it was such an amazing time. So great to meet all these girls that have so much in common. We are working on planning more meetups soon, so if you would like more information let me know!