alissaspieces Loc: New York

Cliff, this is such an excellent portrait. His expression is captivating and I wonder about his life and his story. Great work! You know I am a fan of post processing and you are so good at it!

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

Cliff as you mentioned... "the family absolutely loved the processed version"
Enough said, at the end of the day that is all the matters on the commercial side of the equation...

"I have never asked a client what THEY want..." Really? Very interesting...

CaptainC Loc: Colorado, south of Denver

Good question. Now if this were advertising/fashion work, that is a different deal, as you know. In that case I need to deliver what the client wants (or think they want).
But as a portrait photographer, people hire me for the work they see. That is what I do and that is what they are going to get. I have never asked, "How would you like this to look?"

I learned that from a very successful portrait photographer years ago. His thinking was that people hired him for his look/style and so he shoots to please himself and if clients like it, they hire him. If they do not, they should hire someone else. I would have no problem turning away a client that told me how my images should look. Fortunately, I have never had to do it.

Of course I am in that position in life where I do not HAVE to take every client just to pay the bills. If I were, I might have a different position on this!

BrentHarder Loc: Southern California

I love what you have done with the processed version. Everything about it is awesome. It is far superior to the original. It's inspiring to me what you have done.