Every photographer has their own unique style. This is what usually draws people to you as an artist. It’s what sets you apart from other photographers! While it can be tempting to want to replicate someone you admire, it’s important that you find and refine your unique style – because your take on portraits matters. It’s easy to think that you don’t have a style yet, but if you look back at your images, you’ll begin to see patterns and your style taking shape. If you’re ready to perfect your unique style as a photographer, here’s a few things to keep in mind!
During Your Sessions
Aim for consistency in how you expose and shoot your images. If you prefer a lighter style, you’ll want to overexpose your images a little bit. But, if you prefer something moodier, underexpose to protect and save your blacks and shadows. Remember that how you shoot will shape the overall feel of your images. For consistency and to make your editing images, work to expose your images consistently in the camera!
During Editing
Every photographer is going to have their own editing workflow. Make sure to find and develop one that works for you! We all have different preferences, but the way that you set up your workflow will contribute directly to the consistency in the output. I recommend using a base preset that you apply to all images. This will help your editing stay consistent.
Much like shooting styles, every photographer will find their own preferences in edits and of each section of the image that you edit. Here are a few of the areas that will help shape your unique edit:
- Exposure – Light and airy or dark and moody, or true to real life
- White Balance – cooler or warmer
- Contrast – applying heavier contrast is more trendy at the moment but can be done naturally. The contrast to this is a softer image.
- Blacks and Shadows – Softer images will raise these while bolder, more moodier images will drop these
- Tone Curves – If you don’t use the tone curves, these are a powerful tool in LR to help you colorize and design your perfect edit. Depending on your use of them, you can define your contrast and various undertones for your images.
- HSL Slider – In this section you can use it to colorize your images, making certain colors pop or more muted.
- Brushes + Filters – Brushes + filters are commonly one of the final steps during the editing process. These can help accentuate certain areas
Take the time to dial in your preferences for each of these areas. If you are inspired by other photographers’ work or are drawn to a certain look, dissect the image with a critical eye. This will allow you to understand how they’re treating each of those areas in the edits. Through trial and error, test all the elements to create your own signature look.
Looking for a natural and timeless preset? Check out the Simply Natural Lightroom Preset Collection.
This set of presets is designed to help you enhance the natural beauty of your images without altering skin tones or giving you a heavily edited image. Check them out here: Simply Natural Lightroom Preset Collection
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