I wanna know what was photoshopped.
Everything was Photoshopped!! (except for the model)
This was my first "test shoot" of my new studio equipment. Prior to the shoot, I pretty much had absolutely no idea whatsoever how to use any of it. After the shoot... I still pretty much have absolutely no idea whatsoever how to use any of it.
On a scale of 0 to 10 measuring how the use of the lighting equipment produced imagery that resembled how I'd like an image to look as it was captured by the camera, most of the images on this shoot rated between 1 and 3. For the most part, my job as a photographer to light my subject to produce a desirable effect was a complete failure by all accounts. That's why we call it a test shoot though.
The fact that I was able to salvage the image in photoshop is little consolation to me, even though the final result is pleasing to the eye. My purpose in using studio lighting is to predictably create stunning imagery not possible with natural sunlight. It is NOT to randomly spew bad light onto a model and pray that I might be able to find a way in Photoshop to make 1 photo in 100 look half way decent, though nothing at all like I was trying to accomplish.
As for your question, Photoshop was used to: set the color balance (which is not abnormal since I never bother to set it in camera); correct for wrong exposure; alter levels to balance out the awful tones; and desaturate the image. I also retouched the images to remove 50+ dust specs on my sensor (which evidently show up 100x stronger under strobe lighting compared with sunlighting) and to remove one or two normal skin blemishes. Otherwise, the model is fairly unretouched.
One good note is that the model (and her friend who accompanied her) were able to help me with this test shoot and give me several hints as to what other good photographers they have worked with typically do to achieve the results I'm looking for. They were even good enough to look at samples on the web and talk with me about lighting technique. One huge clue that she gave me has already lead me to figure out one thing I'm doing that is the likely cause of much of my undesirable lighting effects, so I will work on making changes, which hopefully will improve my next test shoot dramatically.
If you've read this far, then let me add a few more notes...
For starters, note that the model I shot with was smart enough to bring a friend to the shoot! I recommend that for any model who does not know the photographer she's working with. Not only was that smart for her, but her friend, who was equally gorgeous, was amazingly helpful. I love having helpers on shoots!!! Plus, I now have two new models in my favor, and they're both amazing people :-)
Next, the model's friend (who had more time to spend looking through my book) was mesmerized by it :-) I won't repeat her comments, but I'll just say they were very, very.. VERY flattering. :-) The reason I'm bothering to mention this is because the book has clearly shown to appeal to people unfamiliar with the fitness industry. That's a very positive thing (I believe) for us folks inside the fitness industry because it will hopefully shed a very positive light on the incredible dedication and hard work of female fitness athletes to the outside world.
Lastly, both models told me they eat well and work out religiously. Yet they told me they can't seem to achieve the body transformation they're looking for, which is to have the subtle muscle tone that comes with being fit, like a tight midsection, a world-class butt, and the extra little tricep pop. Both were in terrific "model" shape, but they really wanted to sculpt their physique a little more towards being defined. I told them about competition dieting, suplementation, and depletion and I even showed them THe BEAST's training log on here (plus I showed them how lighting and oil also affect results on photoshoot day). But if anyone here would like to volunteer a little time to give some "normal girls" a few pointers, or some direction on where to find good info to dial in their physiques, they'd appreciate some kind assistance. Note that they are both vegetarians, and neither are looking to gain substantial muscle, just be "tight" with a few extra muscle defining highlights to their bod. Thanks.
