Wareez Abiola Balogun

Wareez Abiola Balogun Helping photographers get the best from their RAW files while they focus on shooting. High-End photo Retoucher and Editor.

Someone asked me recently how I approach background replacement projects. How realistic can I actually get it. And then ...
02/09/2026

Someone asked me recently how I approach background replacement projects. How realistic can I actually get it. And then they said most of what's in your portfolio is beauty and close-ups.

And they were right.

Not because that's all I do. A huge chunk of the jobs I get are actually full body retouching and backdrop replacement. But those are client projects and I can't post them publicly.

So my portfolio never really showed that side of what I can do. This is me changing that.

Because background replacement sounds simple until you're actually in it. The real work is the composite, getting the sizing right, finding a backdrop that matches the environment without looking like it was dropped in from somewhere else, and then matching the light.

The light is always the hardest part. A beautiful backdrop means nothing if the subject isn't sitting in it convincingly.

I'll let you be the judge of whether this one worked. The before is there so you can see where we started. But honestly if I hadn't included it I don't think most people would have known.

That's the goal every time.

Retouched and edited:
Photographer:

There's a question I've started asking before I touch anything on a project. What is this image actually about?On this o...
24/08/2026

There's a question I've started asking before I touch anything on a project. What is this image actually about?

On this one the answer was obvious the moment I opened the file. That blue earring.

Everything else skin, fabric, light needed to work in service of that single element.
So that's where every decision came from. Tone evened so the face became a frame.

Dimension sculpted so the light had logic. Fabric cleaned so the contrast between black and blue was sharp and intentional. The skin work matters. But knowing why it matters on a particular image that's what changes the quality of the result.

If you're a photographer working on accessory or jewelry portraits and you want a retoucher who thinks about the image that way, I'd love to connect.

Photographer:
Retouched & edited: Wareez Abiola Balogun

The jewelry was so beautiful but something wasn't letting it breathe. So I went back to the environment first, then the ...
24/08/2026

The jewelry was so beautiful but something wasn't letting it breathe.

So I went back to the environment first, then the skin, then the light, and just kept asking does this feel like gold yet?

When it finally came together I sat back and smiled.

Photographer:
Retouched and Edited: Wareez Abiola Balogun

There's a moment in every project where you have a choice — deliver what's expected, or deliver what's possible.This one...
10/08/2026

There's a moment in every project where you have a choice — deliver what's expected, or deliver what's possible.

This one started as a plain studio portrait against a brown backdrop. Nothing wrong with it. Clean shot, good subject, solid work from . But when I sat with the raw file I kept seeing something else, a fashion showroom, a clothing brand, a lookbook page. The plaid shirt, the pose, the energy of the frame was asking for a context that didn't exist yet.

So I built it. New environment, grade shifted to match the cooler boutique light, skin refined throughout and let that single creative instinct drive every decision from there.

This is the part of retouching I find hardest to explain to people outside the craft that sometimes the most important work happens before you touch a single slider. It's the seeing.

Genuinely curious, when you look at a raw file, how often do you let yourself ask what it could become versus what it needs?

www.fotosbyblaze.com

A beauty-to-editorial retouch with a floral composite 🌸The retouching brief changed the moment the florals came into the...
03/08/2026

A beauty-to-editorial retouch with a floral composite 🌸

The retouching brief changed the moment the florals came into the frame. Grade, warmth, the whole finish needed to serve the creative direction rather than just the skin.

www.fotosbyblaze.com

Photographer:
www.fotosbyblaze.com

Sharing a recent beauty edit 🤎 This one had a few layers, skin cleanup, dodge & burn for dimension, and rethinking the w...
29/07/2026

Sharing a recent beauty edit 🤎 This one had a few layers, skin cleanup, dodge & burn for dimension, and rethinking the whole environment to match what the image wanted to feel like. Kept everything non-destructive throughout.

Always curious how other retouchers approach the grade when the background itself needs to shift.

Photographer:
Retouched and edited: Wareez Abiola Balogun

This one was a nice change from beauty work, all-black outfit on a beige background is deceptively tricky. Kept it fully...
22/07/2026

This one was a nice change from beauty work, all-black outfit on a beige background is deceptively tricky.

Kept it fully non-destructive: background cleanup, getting the blacks to hold depth without flattening the fabric texture, and a colour grade that pushed things into editorial territory without overdoing it.

Photographer:
Retouched and Edited: Wareez Abiola Balogun

19/07/2026

Increasing your rates should be a gradual process.

Don't hear one motivational speaker say, "Charge your worth," then wake up the next day and double your prices overnight. If the market isn't ready for it, you might end up reducing them again.

One thing people forget is that your current clients are growing too. As you become better at your craft, many of them will grow in their careers and businesses, and they'll naturally be able to pay your higher rates over time.

Of course, new high-paying clients can come from anywhere. But expecting a completely different market to suddenly appear just because you increased your prices is more of an exception than the rule.

Become better. Increase your value. Increase your rates gradually. Let your market grow with you.

Sharing a recent portrait edit 🤎 Kept it fully non-destructive, evened the tone, shaped dimension back into the skin wit...
13/07/2026

Sharing a recent portrait edit 🤎

Kept it fully non-destructive, evened the tone, shaped dimension back into the skin with dodge & burn, a gentle lift on the eyes, and left the texture alone. The cooler palette on this one made the grade really interesting to get right.

Retouching is always subjective, so I'm genuinely curious how others would've approached the same frame — especially the grade.

Photographer:
Retouched and edited: Wareez Abiola Balogun

www.fotosbyblaze.com

Happy Sunday! ☀️This is what I've been up to today. ⏳👨‍🍳Watch this space. 😄
12/07/2026

Happy Sunday! ☀️
This is what I've been up to today. ⏳👨‍🍳
Watch this space. 😄

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