One Frame Many Faces

ONE FRAME, MANY FACES

The Complete Edit of Eight People Photographed at f/1.6

Eight people. One frame. Photographed at f/1.6.

This image received a lot of attention when I shared it, and while much of the conversation naturally centered around getting an entire group sharp at a wide aperture, there is another part of the process I wanted to show...what happens after I get the image right in-camera.

This tutorial is the complete edit of this photograph from RAW to final.

You'll see exactly what the file looked like straight out of camera and watch me hand edit the entire image from beginning to end. With eight different faces and skin tones in one frame, I'm paying attention to much more than simply making the image look good overall. I'm looking at how color, contrast, skin tones and balance work across the entire group while still maintaining the depth and separation already present in the photograph.

You'll also see my light placement and I'll briefly walk through how the group was lit, giving you additional context for what you're seeing in the RAW file before the editing begins.

Inside the tutorial you'll see:

• The straight-out-of-camera RAW file
• My complete hand edit from beginning to end
• How I approach eight faces within one image
• Color and skin tone refinement across the group
• Contrast and overall balance
• How I preserve depth instead of flattening the photograph during editing
• My light placement and a brief explanation of the lighting setup
• The finished image and how it compares to the original RAW

Important: This tutorial is specifically about the editing and finishing process. If you want the complete breakdown of how I photograph multiple people at wide apertures, including focus, distance, placement and the decisions that allow me to achieve sharpness in-camera, that is covered extensively in The Human Variable.

This tutorial was pulled directly from The Human Variable for photographers who specifically wanted to see this edit without purchasing the complete course.

Runtime: 17 minutes

Available inside the VP Box

Runtime - 17 min