Finding the Balance: Fine Art vs. Natural Edits in My Photography Style

If you've followed my work for any amount of time, you may have noticed that I lean toward a polished, cohesive, almost painterly look. My editing style has been shaped over years of capturing families, children, and emotional milestones with care and consistency. I love bright skin tones, rich colors, and a touch of softness that gives images a fine art feel.

Defining My Editing Style

My editing style is a blend of natural documentary and fine art polish—thoughtfully tailored to the story each session tells. At its core, my work is:

✨ True-to-Color & Emotionally Honest

I prioritize tones that feel authentic to the moment, enhancing warmth and light without oversaturating. Skin tones remain soft and natural, preserving freckles, texture, and personality.

🎨 Refined but Not Overdone

I gently enhance natural beauty with subtle adjustments—light retouching, softened backgrounds, and tonal depth. While I’m capable of painterly fine art edits, I avoid overly airbrushed or “AI-looking” results. I aim for that sweet spot between polish and presence.

📷 Documentary-First, With Artistic Flexibility

Real connection and storytelling come first. From there, I apply either a clean, natural finish or a more cinematic fine art edit—depending on your vision and the tone of your session.

In short, my editing reflects the heart of the moment—not just the aesthetics. It’s intimate, honest, and crafted with care.

Artistic Integrity & Creative Alignment

As an artist, I’m intentional about keeping my editing consistent across sessions so that my galleries feel cohesive, elevated, and true to my brand. Clients often choose me because they’re drawn to this look—it feels timeless, joyful, and refined. It’s a style that translates beautifully in albums and wall art, and one I’m proud to stand behind.

That said, I’m also a skilled professional. If you have a particular vision that leans outside my usual work—such as cooler tones, moodier edits, or trend-based aesthetics—I’m open to those conversations before booking. Some creative shifts are possible, but it’s important we align stylistically so I can give you my best work. If I feel I’m not the right fit, I’ll be transparent and happy to refer you to another artist.

A Closer Look at My Editing Approach

I start with light—how it falls, wraps, and defines. I lift shadows gently, protect highlights, and fine-tune each image for warmth and depth. Skin is treated with care and intention.

When it comes to skin, I take a soft but intentional approach. I remove temporary distractions like blemishes or dry spots, but I do my best to preserve features like freckles and texture that are part of who someone is. For some sessions—especially milestone events, heirloom portraits, or images meant for large-scale display like canvas prints or wall art—I may lean further into fine art-style smoothing and polish. These fine art edits are designed for close-up viewing, where every detail matters. When your image is printed big—whether above a mantle or on a gallery wall—I want you to see the beauty, not every pore or flyaway.

Lifestyle and documentary-style sessions receive a softer touch, allowing light, texture, and emotion to remain more untouched. The result is always a gallery that feels clean, expressive, and true to your story.

Edit Requests – Your Input Matters

Your comfort in your images is important to me, and I offer a range of thoughtful edits to support that.

In the gallery store, you can request:

• Face swaps (for those blink-or-wiggle moments)

• Blemish removal (temporary breakouts, scratches, etc.)

• Flyaway or object removal (tidy up distracting elements)

• Fine Art Finish Upgrade (for select images you’d like enhanced)

Your session includes one round of standard edits. Additional adjustments can be requested for a small fee through the gallery store. I ask that all edit requests be submitted together to keep the process smooth. Multiple rounds of changes or extensive re-edits are not included unless otherwise arranged.

I believe in balancing artistry with authenticity—refining images just enough to elevate them, while keeping their soul intact. Whether you’re drawn to the softness of a painterly glow or the honesty of a documentary moment, my goal is to preserve your story with heart, beauty, and intention.

Thank you for trusting me with your memories.

– Deanna

Have a look behind the scenes...

RAW IMAGE – No Processing

Straight out of camera. No color correction, exposure adjustments, or retouching applied.

This image was intentionally exposed to preserve the highlights and detail in the sky—giving me flexibility in post-processing to recover shadows without losing sky texture or tone.

RAW IMAGE - NO PROCESSING

Documentary Style Edit – Clean, True-to-Life

Basic adjustments applied: exposure correction, white balance, contrast, and subtle color toning.This edit reflects my signature documentary approach—true-to-color, emotionally honest, and softly enhanced. Skin tones stay natural, and textures are preserved. I may gently pull tones out of the sky to highlight natural beauty, but I don’t paint, composite, or heavily manipulate the environment. This style is ideal for clients who value authenticity and a timeless, lived-in feel.

DOCUMENTARY

Fine Art Edit – Painterly Polish

Additional enhancements added: background smoothing, tonal shaping, selective sharpening, and refined skin retouching.In some fine art edits, I may swap the sky or adjust the background to better balance the colors and composition—particularly for prints meant to be displayed at a large scale. This style leans into visual storytelling with elevated, painterly impact while preserving emotional depth. It’s perfect for creating heirloom-quality statement pieces.

FINE ART