I am not a fan of processing, of “Photoshopping” to make an image look different from what you shot. HDR? Only when used with caution.

But sometimes processing works – when it enhances the look you were after in the first place.

Take this shot. A good image from a recent shoot:

But the rough grunge look I am after.. how do I enhance that? We found the juxtaposing of odd subject matter and the rough background and floor, but what else can we do to convey the feeling?

Well perhaps this is one of those times where some work may help. Split Tone 4 processing in Adobe Lightroom – a standard processing filter – gives me this:

Ah! In this case, that is exactly what I am after.

So the best thing is not to be dogmatic about “I don’t do this” or “I must do that”. Never say never.