I’ve been doing a lot of #fridayintroductions over on Instagram lately. I love the chance to share things about myself with my followers and with potential clients. Plus, it’s always fun to be a bit introspective! Today, instead of sharing about my personal life, I’m sharing all about my editing style!
You might not realize it, but when you’re choosing a photographer, editing style probably plays a large role in your decision. Combined with their theory on posing (sounds like the topic of a future blog post…), a photographer’s editing style is one of the things that makes them unique. Some photogs trend more toward dark and dramatic images, others edit their images to look like film, while others prefer a bright and airy feel. With digital photography and today’s editing software, the possibilities are truly endless!
So where do I fall?
It took me a while to figure it out, but I definitely fall in the light and airy category. I edit my images to show off the highlights and soften the shadows. I try to avoid dark backgrounds that make my images feel heavy. (One huge perk to shooting and editing like this is that it helps soften and smooth skin as well!) However, I still like my images to be vibrant and maintain enough contrast that the details aren’t lost. So, while I’m definitely in the light and airy category, I’m not on the far extreme, either.
Truth be told, I’ve come a long way on my editing style journey. If you read my first-ever blog post, you’ll see some of the very first images I edited! Comparing them to my recent work, it’s hard to believe they were taken by the same photographer! But, I’m so thankful for the path that led me here. Along the way I found a lot of things that didn’t work for me, but I also found a lot of things that did! And each time I found a technique that improved my final images, I kept it in the routine. I also made a point of investing in good education (shout out to the amazing Katelyn James!), and that was worth every penny in terms of helping me find my own style.
The bottom line is that editing style is important. Clients, if you hire a photographer whose style you don’t love, you won’t love the pictures, no matter how great they are. Everyone has different taste and that’s ok, but pick a photographer who resonates with you! As a photographer, editing style is also hugely important. You spend hours a week editing and if you don’t know what your style is, your work will be incredibly inconsistent! Not to mention the fact that once you know how you edit, it takes far less time!
Below are some images that I feel exemplify my editing style. I’ve also included the straight-out-of-the-camera shot to illustrate the importance editing plays in creating the final image, and because who doesn’t doesn’t love a good before and after?! 🙂
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