What is a "Soft Proof"

 One of the most common questions I get about my packages is "what is a Soft Proof". Listed in the package description of all the Wigglebug packages you will see a number of "Soft Proof" images. 

Soft proofs are images taken at your session that I will post in your proofing gallery. These images are not edited or retouched. You will look at these images and choose  your final images. You do not get to download or save the proofs. They are available in the proofing gallery only. There will be a watermark on the images that says "Wigglebug Photography". These are also low resolution images and can not be printed. They are for viewing and choosing your final images. You will "favorite" or "heart" the images you want to keep. For example, if you have the Premium package you will "favorite" 20 images. 

It is important to remember that proof images are not edited. The editing happens after you have selected your favorite images. All final images will be edited and "retouched" to the photographer's standard and meeting any possible requests from the client. 

After you have chosen your images then I will edit those images. You will receive a new gallery with your edited images. Those files/images can be downloaded and saved by you. You can then print them through any vendor you would like. All packages come with a "print release" which means Wigglebug is legally releasing these files to you to print for personal use. Sometimes a vendor like Walmart will want to see your print release before they will release the prints to you. We provide a print release with all our packages. 

Here are some examples of proof images and the edited version of the same file. 

In this top images, you can see that the light was very bright and her face appears slightly washed out. In the bottom image the lighting on her face is more balanced with the entire image. 

In this second set of images you can see the light in the image. In the second edited file the light has been removed and the images is straightened so the horizontal lines of the bench are level. 

It is common in newborn proof images to have my own feet or my assistants hands or feet in the images. We are always very close to the baby to ensure safety. In any final edits we are removed. 

This last sample is an example of a "storybook" edit. This is a more intense edit. This kind of editing is used when we want to change the color of objects or change items in the photo. This is my favorite kind of edit because it is the most artistic!