Today I wanted to show you the magic of Photoshop and why I believe that in today's wedding photography market the photographer has to be proficient in Photoshop to meet the expectations of bridal couples.

It's sometimes very difficult to get a romantic shot of the "first dance". There are several reasons for this; the lighting at the reception venue is poor, the venue itself is not a romantic setting i.e. a large hall etc. or perhaps there are so many guests gathered around the dance floor it's difficult to get a good position for a shot.

The image below shows a typical first dance shot I took in 2006 at Abbey and Tyson's wedding.

The location of the reception was a large, bright hall. Not exactly romantic, but unfortunately very typical of these venues. As you can see, although the couple looks great, in love, and romantic, the surroundings are not. How do I, as a photographer, present a romantic "first dance image" to the couple for their wedding album?

Here is the completed image as presented to Abbey and Tyson.

I think I was successful in producing a romantic image and Abbey and Tyson were so pleased that in addition to including it in their wedding album, they ordered a large framed wall print. The lights, the mood and the romantic atmosphere were all added "after the fact" through the use of Photoshop.

When you interview a wedding photographer don't forget to ask about their post processing of the images and ask to see samples. It sometimes makes all the difference between a nice image and a stunning image.

Hey everybody, that's it for me today. We'll talk to you soon - Craig