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Before and after

20 Oct 2025

Until a few years ago I never edited my photos, because I saw a photo as an objective record that you don't tamper with.

However, since I joined the Haarlem Fotogroep I learned to think more about the images that I want to create based on an original photo.

Here I show a few examples of typical edits I do to achieve the results I have in mind.

  • Emphasizing elements

    Every year this carriage is pulled out of the church to take part in a long-standing traditional procession. This has left its marks over the years, which I wanted to emphasize so I made these tracks extra bright.

    Raw image. A richly decorated carriage in the cathedral in Leuven (Belgium).

    Raw image

     Edited image. Edited image. A richly decorated carriage in the cathedral in Leuven (Belgium).

    Edited image

  • Correcting white balance, brightness

    The window is covered by a blue screen, casting a blue light over the entire scene. This is something that is relatively easy to correct.

    Raw image. A display in the coal mining museum in Bois-du-Luc (Belgium), showing racks of oil lamps that were handed out to coal mining workers.

    Raw image

     Edited image. Edited image. A display in the coal mining museum in Bois-du-Luc (Belgium), showing racks of oil lamps that were handed out to coal mining workers.

    Edited image

  • Removing objects

    The tables in the foreground are suspended by vertical wires, but they really got in the way of my shot, so I removed them.

    Raw image. Generator room in the coal mining museum in Bois-du-Luc (Belgium), showing the generator as well as control panels that form a wall of dials and switches.

    Raw image

     Edited image. Edited image. Generator room in the coal mining museum in Bois-du-Luc (Belgium), showing the generator as well as control panels that form a wall of dials and switches.

    Edited image

  • Black & white

    Taking away colors draws the attention to composition, lines, structures.

    Raw image. The monumental stone staircase of Christ Church college in Oxford (which also figures in the Harry Potter movies), and a dark person is climbing the stairs.

    Raw image

     Edited image. Edited image. Black and white photo of the monumental stone staircase of Christ Church college in Oxford (which also figures in the Harry Potter movies), and a dark person is climbing the stairs.

    Edited image

  • Bring back the atmosphere

    Getting the right exposure for both the sky and the foreground

    Raw image. A tree-top walk in Kew Gardens in London, showing the wooden walkway next to some tree tops and against an appoaching thunderstorm.

    Raw image

     Edited image. Edited image. A tree-top walk in Kew Gardens in London, showing the wooden walkway next to some tree tops and against an appoaching thunderstorm.

    Edited image

  • Correcting horizontal and vertical lines

    Pointing your camera up causes vertical lines to lean inward and converge towards the top of the photo. Sometimes this is exactly what you want, and sometimes you want the vertical lines really to be vertical.

    Raw image. A classical stair in Kings College London, shot from the side so that you see the stair against the wall, going up from right to left.

    Raw image

     Edited image. Edited image. A classical stair in Kings College London, shot from the side so that you see the stair against the wall, going up from right to left.

    Edited image