Zebra, lion, elephant, and giraffe portraits — photo editing service by Deanna DeShea

THE EDIT

Photo Editing Services & Custom Presets for Wildlife and Travel Photography

Cheetah portrait in colour — photo editing example by Deanna DeShea

In the early days of editing, I got it wrong. I pushed colours too far, chased what I thought an image should look like rather than what it actually was. Learning to edit well took years — not of technical study, but of learning to see.

That shift changed everything. A good edit does not alter reality. It returns you to it. It restores what the camera almost captured: the particular quality of the light, the held breath of the moment, the weight of stillness before something moves.

That is what I bring to every image I touch — mine or yours.

Shape the Story.

Professional editing service for photographers who want their images to speak louder, feel deeper, and tell unforgettable stories.

Where raw moments are shaped into lasting stories.

Baboon silhouetted in a tree at sunset — colour and light editing example by Deanna DeShea
Warrior silhouetted against sunrise, spear raised — editing example by Deanna DeShea

The Editing Service

I offer a professional photo editing service for photographers and travellers who want their images handled with the same care and intention they were made with.

This is a discreet, one-to-one service. I work with a small number of clients — wildlife photographers, travel photographers, and those returning from Africa with images they feel deserve more than a quick preset pass.

One of the images I edited for a photographer was subsequently acquired by a gallery. I say that not to impress, but to be clear about the standard I hold myself to.

What I offer

  • Full image editing in Lightroom Classic — colour, tone, clarity, mood
  • Selective adjustments, masking, and sky work where needed
  • A cohesive edit across a set — consistent look and feel throughout
  • Feedback and notes on the editing decisions, if you want them
  • A short turnaround, and a straightforward process

Who this is for

  • Photographers who want a second pair of eyes from someone who shoots the same terrain
  • Travellers returning from East Africa with images that deserve the time and skill they earned
  • Anyone preparing images for print, exhibition, or sale
  • Photographers who have a vision but are not yet sure how to reach it in post
Raw file of an African elephant in open savanna, dust and midday light — unedited wildlife photographUlysses — Amboseli Super Tusker — photographed in Amboseli, Kenya
Rear view of a zebra displaying distinctive black and white stripes in East African savanna.Grevy's zebra — photographed in Samburu National Reserve, Kenya

Full editing in Lightroom Classic — colour, tone, clarity, and mood — plus selective adjustments, masking, and sky work where an image needs it. If you’re sending a set, the edit is kept cohesive across all of them, not treated image by image.

Editing starts at $35 per image, with the price depending on what the image needs. Discounts apply for larger sets — get in touch for a quote.

Most sets are returned within a week, depending on the number of images and how much work each one needs.

Both. The edit follows what the image needs — some ask for black and white, some don’t.

RAW files edit best, and that’s what I prefer to work from. JPEGs are fine if the quality is good, though the result won’t match what’s possible starting from RAW.

Yes. This is a worldwide service, done remotely.

Yes — for photographers who prefer to edit their own work but want a starting point that matches this look.