When it comes to retouching, or more specifically, removing unwanted objects from photos, there are a few things you can do to make retouching a lot easier. In this article, I share three questions you can ask yourself in the field before taking a photo. Those questions will help you have a better original document for your editing process.
When I shoot landscapes and architecture, it’s quite common that I notice subjects in the frame draw my attention away from the main subject. Such subjects add nothing to the composition and the subject can be very small. If they don’t blend in with the environment, they stand out to me.
In landscape photography, such objects are often man-made. For example fences, signs, power lines and the like. With architecture, it could be cars parked in the back or even worse somewhere in the front, people passing through frames or tower cranes.
While I shy away from major changes to my photos in post-production like dropping in the sky that aren’t there or removing key elements, some cleanup is often necessary. And depending on the scene, it can be more or less challenging. And that’s why I often ask myself three questions in this regard when I notice elements that I don’t want in my photos.
And here’s the key: To be able to ask those questions, it’s important to train your eyes to notice such distractions while taking pictures. Look for elements that are much lighter or darker than their surroundings, as well as elements with bold colors or textures that don’t match. Zoom in on the corners and edges of your frame and check for distractions there. With some practice, even small distractions will become apparent. Then the following questions will help you get better editing results.
Can I avoid re-editing?
You will get the best editing results if you can do it in the field. Ask yourself how and in what ways you can avoid post-editing. Is there a way you can slightly alter your composition by rotating or repositioning the camera to exclude distracting elements from the frame? Sometimes, only small changes are needed, which otherwise won’t dramatically change the content of your photo.
Another way to avoid editing can be to clean up the space. In interior photography, you may want to clarify the area you are shooting. In architectural photography, you may want to leave out some trash or just wait for a car or pedestrian to move out of your frame. Landscape photography is similar. There may be ground cover branches, which you can remove without interfering with nature too much.
In the woodland photo above, I did just that. After composing the image, I zoom in with the live view and go around the edges, looking for twigs or branches that stick to the frame. First, I made some adjustments to the composition to exclude the larger branches, then I went in and removed some of the fallen logs and branches from the ground. It is not necessary to make the ground look super clean, as this would be impractical. But especially at the edges in the foreground, I was able to remove some distracting elements to achieve the final result.
How to Make Re-Editing Easier?
You can’t always avoid re-editing. So, after asking your first question, think about ways to make editing easier. Take for example architectural photography of a famous building. You may never get a chance to capture it without any people in the frame if it’s a busy place. So what can you do to make editing easier?
One solution would be to take multiple pictures with your camera on a tripod, making sure that you have enough frames that everyone is in different areas of the frame. You can then load all the layers into Photoshop and use the mask to remove everyone.
An alternative could be a very long exposure time. This works if everyone is moving and not standing in one place. Multiple photos that you later average out can have the same effect of removing people from the frame.
Another example is my self-portrait above, which I took in the Erg Chigaga sand dunes in Morocco a few years ago. I had to walk a bit through the frame to get to the spot where I was sitting in the middle. Because of this, I left footprints in the frame that I later had to reproduce. While it’s not the hardest editing job, I can make it a lot simpler by just taking a photo without me in the front frame. This way, I was able to capture those pristine sand dunes without any footprints. The second photo will then be taken with me and my footprints in the frame. In Photoshop, I would load both photos into separate layers and use a mask to remove the footprints. An alternative would be to walk beyond the edges of the frame and then to my sitting position from behind the dunes.
What are my abilities with editing?
Sometimes, you can neither avoid nor simplify editing. There are scenes where the distraction is static and attracts attention. Here, it is important to know your capabilities and that of the software you use when editing. When you’re taking a photo with distracting elements, it’s a good idea to know in advance whether you’ll be able to copy those elements out later or if you’ll have to live with them.
For example, in this photo of the Rio Agrio waterfall in Costa Rica, I duplicated a large sign. For me, this sign took away the raw beauty of the place. I wanted to capture what this waterfall was like 5 years ago before it was more accessible. Because of the textures around the sign, I knew it wouldn’t be too difficult to get a convincing retouching result.
If I’m in doubt about this, I’ll go back to question one and try to find works closer to the waterfall that have no markings. But the composition is stronger further away from the falls, and it’s good to know that I didn’t need to compromise.
In the featured video of this article, I walk you through a photo session where I had to do some larger editing. Asking those three questions helped me get a convincing final result.
