5 Common Summer Editing Mistakes (And How I Avoid Them)
Summer is one of my favourite seasons for dog photography. The lush greenery, vibrant flowers, and long evenings create beautiful backdrops, but they can also make editing a little more challenging. It's easy to get carried away trying to make colours pop, only to end up with images that don't look natural.
Here are five common summer editing mistakes I see and how I avoid them.
1. Oversaturating the Greens
One of the biggest mistakes is cranking up the saturation. While those bright green fields might look amazing in person, pushing the greens too far can make the entire image feel unrealistic.
Instead, I make small adjustments to saturation and luminance until the grass looks vibrant without stealing the attention from the dog. One of my favourite editing tips is to increase vibrance while lowering saturation, then adjust the green hue slightly toward blue instead of yellow. It creates a much more natural-looking image.
2. Making Everything Too Warm
Golden light is beautiful, but it's easy to overdo it in editing. If the entire image turns orange or yellow, the dog's fur can start looking unnatural too.
I like to keep the warmth subtle so the photo still feels like a summer evening without looking overly edited.
3. Forgetting About Colour Casts
Grass and trees can reflect green light onto your subject, especially if you're photographing a light-coloured dog. It might not be obvious at first, but those subtle colour casts can make white fur look muddy.
Taking a minute to correct those colours helps the dog stand out while keeping their fur true to life.
4. Editing the Background Before the Dog
The scenery is beautiful, but the dog should always be the first thing people notice. I always make sure my subject looks its best before I start fine-tuning the background.
If the dog looks great, everything else becomes a supporting element.
5. Trying to Follow Every Editing Trend
Editing styles come and go, but timeless photos never go out of style. Instead of chasing the latest trend, I focus on creating images that my clients will still love years from now.
A natural edit will always age better than one that's trendy.
Final Thoughts
Summer offers some of the most beautiful opportunities for dog photography, but a good edit is all about balance. Small, thoughtful adjustments will always have a bigger impact than dramatic ones. Let the season speak for itself, keep the focus on the dog, and you'll create images that feel just as beautiful years from now as they do today.
