Earlier this week, I shared this beautiful creek mini session, and today I want to take you behind the scenes with a before-and-after example. I think it’s important to be real about editing. While I strive to get the best image I can straight out of the camera, editing is truly an art form—and sometimes, it can make or break a photo.

When I edit, my goal isn’t to change the moment, but to enhance it. I want the final image to reflect how it felt to be there in that space.

What Editing Can Do

✨ Balance the Light
Sometimes, lighting shifts quickly—especially in outdoor sessions like this creek mini. Editing allows me to brighten areas that got too dark, or gently darken spots that are too blown out so the eye focuses where it should.

🌿 Soften the Greens
In natural settings like creeks and wooded areas, all that greenery can sometimes overpower the subjects. By softening and desaturating some of the greens, the family becomes the focus instead of the background.

☀️ Add Pops of Light
I love to add a pop of light to break up all the green and bring warmth and glow into the image. It gives the photo more depth and helps tell the story of that moment in a more magical way.

Why This Matters

Editing isn’t about changing people or fabricating a scene—it’s about highlighting what’s already there. It’s about taking the raw beauty of your family, your laughter, your connections, and making sure they shine through in the final gallery.

This creek mini session was already full of joy and love, but the edits brought that little extra polish to make it feel timeless.

✨ Interested in capturing your family? Mini sessions are the perfect way to do it. They’re quick, fun, and still give you a gallery full of beautiful images to treasure. My Mini Session Packages will go live in November, giving you flexibility to choose the themes and locations that best fit your family throughout the year.