October 25, 2020
Figuring out what your editing style is can take a long time and lots of trial and error. At this point, I think I’ve experimented with just about everything. It’s been really hard for me to narrow down my editing style because I find elements of every style to be beautiful.
Here are some important things I’ve learned along the way:
Trends come and go. The new, artistic, and fun edits might be super popular right now, but there’s a good chance those edits will be cringe worthy five years from now. I now aim to create timeless, true to color images, with an artistic flare. I don’t want you to look back at your wedding photos in five years and be embarrassed to have them hanging up in your home. I’ve always been interested in editing trends, but I find myself going back to and appreciating a more classic look.
You can learn a ton by purchasing another photographer’s presets, even if you end up not using them on your work. I’ve spent a fortune purchasing preset packs from photographers I’m inspired by only to end up feeling disappointed. Presets aren’t one click edits (I know this), but there have been so many times where I’ve just been like, “There is absolutely no way that photographer ended up with that result using this awful preset.” Maybe a preset pack from your fave photographer won’t completely give you the aesthetic you are looking for, but you can always learn from looking at the preset’s settings. Maybe you absolutely love the greens in X photographer’s work, but you’ve never really been able to figure out the settings. It could be the grain, skin tones, split toning, really anything… Don’t consider it a total loss when you purchase something and it doesn’t work out as planned. Plus, presets packs will oftentimes come with editing tutorials. WATCH THEM.
You can achieve a consistent look without using the same preset pack on every single session.
If someone wants to hire you, but wants you to edit like another photographer, politely tell them to hire that photographer instead. Both parties are likely to end up in a weird spot if you follow through with this request. Stay true to you. The right clients will come.
