A Mechanical Heritage Filled with Memories

The story of this peculiar machine truly began for me in 2020. Following the passing of my grandfather, this camera, loaded with memories and family history, was carefully passed down to me. It is a Lumière 6.5 x 11, an authentic mechanical marvel straight out of the 1950s.

Holding it in my hands immediately gave me a unique feeling. Rather than relegating it to a mere decorative object on a shelf, I made a decision: I was going to restore it to working order so that it could, once again, capture light.

You can actually read the detailed story of this rediscovery on my Flotographie blog..

The Clash of Worlds: Nikon Z8 / Z6 III vs. Lumière 6.5 x 11

As a professional wedding and portrait photographer, my daily life is paced by the use of cutting-edge hybrid cameras, such as the Nikon Z8 and the brand-new Z6 III. The contrast with this venerable post-war camera is absolutely striking, and switching from one to the other requires real mental gymnastics.

Take sharpness, for example. My Nikon bodies lock onto a subject's eye in a fraction of a second, tracking their slightest movement with deadly precision. On the Lumière, focusing is done completely blind. The viewfinder, which is only used for framing, is absolutely not connected to the lens. You therefore have to estimate the distance between yourself and the subject with your naked eye, then manually turn the lens dial to 1 meter, 3 meters, or 5 meters. The slightest error in judgment, and the photograph is irreparably blurry.

There is also this relationship with time and quantity that completely changes. Where my Z8 can freeze action at dozens of frames per second while securing thousands of shots on its dual memory card slots, vintage film imposes absolute rigor and patience. A roll of film loaded into this Lumière gives me the right to a total of only 4 or 5 photos. Every fully mechanical shutter release is definitive and costly. It requires long minutes of preparation to advance the film, cock the shutter, estimate the light, and set the aperture.

The Struggles of Restoration (The Art of Tinkering)

Making such an antique work today is a true obstacle course. I had the opportunity to share the extent of these struggles on Flotographie, but the first hurdle was simply feeding it.

This camera originally used 116 format film, a standard that has completely disappeared from circulation. The only viable alternative was to use current, slightly smaller 120 format film with the help of specific adapters. Without these precious accessories during my very first attempts, I faced major light leaks that ruined my images.

Then came the problem of film advancement. The "actinic window," that small red glass on the back of the camera meant to show you the frame number, is positioned for the 116 format. With my 120 film, the numbers simply don't line up. At first, I was advancing the film blind, which inevitably led to overlapping images. To fix this, I engineered a true DIY system with the help of my other grandfather: we wrapped newspaper around the take-up spool to mathematically count the number of dial turns needed. The trick worked to separate the frames, but at the cost of a huge loss of usable surface on the film.

Final Adjustments Before the Big Test

Today, I still can't say the camera is 100% operational, but I'm getting close.

To overcome this famous loss of film space, my partner lab (Photo Studio in Salon-de-Provence) kindly provided me with scraps of backing paper from old rolls of film. Last week, I was able to run much more rigorous "dry" tests to finally try and determine the perfect number of dial turns. But film photography is always full of surprises: even with this method, I have a strong feeling that the tension and advancement differ depending on the brand of film used!

Usually, I feed this camera with Ilford 120 Black and White (100 or 400 ISO). However, for my very next challenge, I decided to test a Foma Fomapan Action 120 film at 400 ISO, known for offering a more contrasted look.

Why all this meticulous preparation? Simply because a photo session with a professional model is currently being prepared. Although this shoot unfortunately had to be postponed for health reasons, it is still very much on the agenda. It will be the perfect opportunity to take this machine out into the field: alongside my usual work with my digital hybrids, I plan to take these 4 or 5 unique shots with this historical camera.

We will see if the magic happens and if my dial calculations finally pay off. Stay tuned, the result of this timeless session will be revealed in Episode 2!

Article created in commercial collaboration with Evoto

Introduction

When you pose in front of my lens for a portrait session, you open up. You trust me with your image, your emotions, and sometimes even your insecurities. It's a responsibility I take very seriously.

The question that comes up most often during initial discussions: "Do you retouch the photos?" My answer is always the same: yes, but not the way you might imagine.

I don't believe in excessive retouching that transforms people into wax dolls. My goal is not to make you look like someone else, but to show you that you can be beautiful naturally, while preserving what makes you unique. Your freckles, your asymmetrical smile, that little wrinkle at the corner of your eye when you laugh... that's what makes your unique charm.

However, that pimple that appeared the day before the shoot, those fatigue circles after a tough week, or that shine on your forehead due to stress? That, I remove. Because these aren't characteristics of your face, they're temporary imperfections.

Today, I'm opening the curtain on my portrait retouching workflow to show you how I achieve these natural and professional results that my clients are proud of.

For photographers or curious minds passing by: if you want to test the software I mention in this article, you can grab 15 free credits via this link..

The code FLORIAN FLORIAN will also give you 20% off packs.

My Step-by-Step Retouching Process

Step 1: Rigorous Selection

Everything starts with culling. During a one-hour portrait session, I capture between 200 and 400 photos. Not all of them are meant to be retouched. My job is first to select the best shots: those where the light is perfect, where your expression is right, where the composition works.

I review each image, checking sharpness, emotion, and posture. This manual culling takes time, but it's essential. Some technically perfect photos lack soul, while others, with a small technical flaw, capture a look, an authentic smile that makes all the difference. This human discernment is what makes a professional selection valuable.

At the end of this selection, I generally retain between 40 and 80 photos that I'll develop and retouch for you.

Step 2: Development in Lightroom

Once the selection is complete, I move to development in Lightroom. This is where I create the visual identity of your series.

My method is simple but effective: I first apply my personal preset to all photos from the session.This preset, which I've developed and refined over the years, defines my visual signature: a contrasted and bright retouching style that primarily seeks to respect the mood of the moment.

But this preset is just a base, a starting point. Then, I review each photo individually to adjust:

• Exposure according to each shot's brightness
• Contrasts to give more or less punch
• Highlights and shadows based on areas to emphasize
• Cropping to optimize composition
• Sharpness and noise reduction if necessary

The goal? For all your photos to have a consistent and recognizable style,while respecting each image's particularities. This is what makes a series tell a harmonious visual story.

Step 3: Skin Retouching with Evoto

This is where Evotocomes in, the tool that has literally revolutionized my way of working. From Lightroom, I send my photos directly to Evoto for skin and detail retouching.

Why Evoto rather than Photoshop? Because it saves me considerable time.. 

Why Evoto rather than Photoshop? Because it saves me considerable time. What used to take me between 5 and 10 minutes of meticulous retouching in Photoshop (and sometimes much more on complex cases) now takes less than a minute with Evoto, while achieving professional results and maintaining total control over the rendering. And most importantly, because it allows me to keep a natural skin appearance, which is essential for me.

1. 1. Correction of Temporary Imperfections

This is my number one priority. In Evoto, a simple slider allows me to remove acne, pimples, and small redness. The software automatically detects these imperfections and makes them disappear while preserving the natural skin texture.

What used to take me 10 minutes per photo in Photoshop (using the spot healing tool on each pimple) now takes 1 second with Evoto. Yes, you read that right: 1 secondA simple slider movement and it's done. And the result is often better because the algorithm preserves the surrounding skin texture.

💡 Want to test this speed? If you retouch images yourself and want to see this result with your own eyes, take advantage of the 15 free credits here to try it on your own files.

2. Reducing Dark Circles and Bags

Dark circles are often a source of insecurity, especially when you haven't slept well before a session. I use Evoto's dedicated function to reduce them (not remove them completely, which would be artificial), which restores freshness to the eyes.

3. Shine Management

Shine on the forehead, nose, or cheeks is common, especially during indoor shoots with artificial lighting. Evoto allows me to unify the skin and remove these shiny areas that draw too much attention, for a more harmonious result.

4. Clothing Retouching

An aspect often forgotten, but extremely important: clothing. During the session, lint attaches, wrinkles form, sometimes even a small stain appears.

With Evoto, I can smooth out clothing and remove these small annoyances with a few clicks. The result is stunning.

This is often the longest step in post-production. If you want to save hours of digital ironing, don't forget to use code FLORIAN (-20%) after claiming your free trial..

5. Eye Enhancement

The eyes are the soul of a portrait. I sometimes use the subtle whitening function for the whites of the eyes (very slightly, never at full strength) and adjust the reflections in the eyes to give them more sparkle and depth.

What I NEVER Retouch

Because it's just as important to tell you what I don't touch:

❌ Freckles: They're part of your charm. Evoto actually allows me to preserve them by finely adjusting the sliders.

❌ Beauty marks: Unless you specifically request it, they stay. It's your identity.

❌ Natural expression lines: Does your smile create little wrinkles at the corner of your eyes? That's beautiful. I don't erase them.

❌ The shape of your face or body: I don't practice "reshaping." You're perfect as you are.

My philosophy: I remove what's temporary, I keep what is you..

Step 4: Export

Once retouching is complete in Evoto, I retrieve the image in Lightroom. Since I've already made all necessary adjustments before sending the photo to Evoto (development, color grading, cropping, etc.), all I have left to do is export your photos in high resolution, ready to be printed, shared, or framed.

Why Evoto Changed My Way of Working

Before discovering Evoto, I spent endless hours in Photoshop retouching my models' skin. I had to use the healing brush on each pimple, one by one, then work with the clone stamp for more complex areas.

A portrait photo easily took me between 5 and 10 minutes of pure retouching (and that's being generous: on some complex cases, it could go much higher). Let's be conservative and assume 7 minutes on average. For a series of 60 photos, that represented 7 hours of work just for retouching.

Today, with Evoto, I process the same photo in less than a minute.For a series of 60 photos, I now only spend1 hour for all retouching. I save 6 hours on a single session.

This time saving has had a huge impact on my business:

• I can deliver your photos quickly (maximum 7-day turnaround)
• I can accept more sessions without sacrificing quality
• Time saved = less fatigue = more precision: I'm more attentive to details on each retouch
• I spend more time shooting and less time behind a screen

If you want to learn more about Evoto's technical features and see a complete test of the software, I wrote a detailed article on my site dedicated to sports and event photography: Test of Evoto: the portrait retouching revolution?

You Too Can Test Evoto for Free

Good news: unlike most other software, you can test Evoto without spending a penny. Moreover, this link gives you 15 free credits to get started: https://link.evoto.ai/florian

And if the software has convinced you, don't forget to use the promotional code FLORIAN to get 20% off..

My Quality Commitment

When you book a portrait session with me, you're guaranteed:

✅ A natural and professional result: You'll recognize yourself in your photos

✅ Custom retouching: Each photo is retouched individually, not mass automatic processing

✅ A consistent retouching style: You're hiring me for my artistic work and vision, that's what you'll find in your photos

✅ Respected delivery time: Thanks to my optimized workflow, I deliver your photos within 7 days maximum

✅ Ready-to-use photos: High-resolution format for printing

Ready to Live the Experience?

If you dream of portraits that truly look like you, that enhance your natural beauty without artifice, I'd be delighted to accompany you on this adventure.

Whether it's for a personal portfolio, couple photos, a family event, or simply to treat yourself to a moment just for you, each session is unique..

For photographers who want to learn more about Evoto and its professional use, find my complete technical test of the software on Test of Evoto: the portrait retouching revolution?