StretchLifeVisuals
patreon
π₯ Retouch&Chill Highlights: 05/19 β Retouching, Gear, and Community Feedback
🕑 Added 2025-05-20 04:06:30 +0000 UTCπ― Life & Work Updates
Summer photography bookings are slow (only 4 so far vs. usual 100+ per semester).
Majority of current time is focused on caring for dad and creating content.
Not editing post-stream: βIβm tryna hop on the game after this.β
πΈ Photography Talk β Shoots, Lighting, & Techniques
Germanyβs Shoot:
Used 3-light setup: big umbrella overhead, two backlights, one softbox fill at bottom.
Shot in RAW using TTSenre's studio light setup.
Retouching Approach:
Prioritized vibrance over saturation for realistic color pop.
Added clarity to hair and clothing for more depth.
Adjusted shadows and highlights individually per shot using Evoto + Photoshop.
Studio & Natural Light:
Encouraged experimenting with off-camera flash: βNatural light cool, but flash gets critical.β
Explained how to feather lights to avoid hotspots or harsh shadows.
π§° Tools & Workflow Tips
Editing Tools:
Uses Evoto for retouching skin, clothes, and backgrounds.
Photoshop for detailed beauty edits and composite fixes (e.g., background expansion).
Pixieset recommended for high-quality photo delivery.
File Handling:
Shooting RAW uncompressed (Sony A7R V) = 125MB+ files.
Now only buying 256GB+ SD cards to handle file sizes.
Presets:
Planning to drop a preset pack with:
Man/Woman skin retouch
Studio
2β5PM outdoor
Sunset
(Maybe) Nighttime
π¬ Client Work & Community Lessons
Wedding Reel:
Made a full reel in 1.5 hrs for LGBTQ+ couple.
Encouraged others to stay open: βThey pay and they spread the word fast.β
Client Q&A:
Doesnβt choose client shoot locations: they must come prepared.
Uses reminder emails/texts through Acuity but admits he's lax on pre-shoot comms (βDonβt be like me!β).
Has editor recommendation inside Patreon (Stefan).
π§’ Merch Update
Hat order hit a production delay due to color minimums (50 per color).
Paid out-of-pocket to get them printed β estimated to ship early-to-mid June.
Will have extra hats on-hand for purchase after pre-orders are fulfilled.
π· Community Engagement
Reviewed dozens of user-submitted shots live:
Gave real-time feedback on lighting, editing, composition, and realism.
Celebrated creativity and growth: βYβall high-key doing better than me right now.β
Encouraged experimentation, especially with light setups and retouching techniques.
Comments
ZXENT Photography
Could you give us a video on navigating slow months?
