How long did it take you to finish that painting?” That’s a very common question for an artist, but not for a photographer. Taking a photo is just a fraction of the total creative process. The editing suite is where most of the work is done: color correction, brightness, contrast, cropping, removing artifacts, and more. The photo of Baby Daddy Session IPA is a good example.

Outdoor shots with a limited amount of gear and a ton of variables to control can be particularly challenging. The sand was filled with debris, the can was slightly dented, reflections were out of control, and there was a fair amount of color correction that needed to be done. Just slide the divider back and forth to see the difference.

I spent about an hour cleaning and correcting the image, making it free of distractions and beautiful as possible. I often think my job is to make people thirsty, but in this case I also want to inspire the viewer to take that can to the beach. That is after all one of the advantages of canned beer. It can go places glass can’t, or at least more easily.

Before

After