How to Figure Out Your Editing Style + Stay True to It
I'm excited to dive into a topic that I know a lot of photographers struggle with - how to figure out your editing style and stay true to it. I have struggled with it over the years, so you're not alone. It's something we all deal with. The reason I want to address this is to show you that it IS possible to find a style that feels so YOU and you feel satisfied with it for many years! I want to inspire you to help you stay true to yourself when it comes to editing.
1. Be Inspired and Play
When you get inspired by other photographers and their editing style, you can buy different presets that are similar to that style and just play around with them.
After shooting a session, try different presets, tweak them and just play around to see how it looks, feels, and whether it feels good to you. That's a great starting point and that's kind of where I started, too. It helped me figure out the right direction of how I wanted things edited.
2. When Using Someone's Preset, Ask Yourself Why
If you choose to use someone's preset because they are successful, popular, and booking a lot of clients and you expect the same when using their preset, then it's the worst way to approach it.
We have no idea what happens behind the scenes and how hard someone works to get to where they are; what language they use on their website and with their clients, how they market themselves, how they speak and who they are at their very core. Usually, we look up to those who connect with who they are and that can share their uniqueness with the world. That is was gets them the bookings, not just the way they edit their images.
So simply applying someone else's preset to your work is not going to automatically get you clients. You need to dive deep into finding out who you are and how you want your work to look and then share your vision with the world. Because I’m telling you, people can subconsciously sense the energy you put out through your work. We all have an instinctual radar of when someone isn't being true to themselves. It’s not to the point where we think in our heads “Oh they are not being themselves”. That’s not what I mean. There is an instinctual feeling of something being off. So if you’re not confident with your work, and you’re putting it out there with that energy, you’re gonna get the same energy back from people which is them not feeling 100% confident in booking you. I know we’re going down the intuitive + energy path here, but I hope this makes sense to you. Throughout my 9 years of being a wedding photographer, whenever I have felt more unsure about my work, there was a direct correlation between how I was feeling and bookings! If you pay close attention to how you’re feeling about yourself and your work and your bookings, you’ll know what I’m talking about.
I know how it feels to get caught in this trap, trust me! Four or five years ago, I caught myself thinking - well, if I edited like this then maybe I would get more clients. But I had to tell myself that it wasn't the direction I wanted to go. I wanted to stay true to myself and my business and so I did. I consciously had to battle that voice in my head and keep pushing through, and doing the hard work of finding my style.
Therefore, being conscious of WHY you are using someone's preset is really important. If you apply a preset to your work and are genuinely giddy with excitement because it feels true to who you are, then it is the right preset for you because it aligns with your soul. It aligns with how YOU want to see your work and who you are as a person!
And, if you have the question playing over and over in your head of “Am I worthy of being a professional photographer if I use someone else’s preset on my work and not my own?”. The answer is YES! We all have different strengths as artists and the beautiful thing is there are no rules! If you don't know how to create a preset in Lightroom, it doesn't mean that using someone else's preset is stealing their work. The same present can look different on 10 images depending on the energy that the photo radiates.
But remember, if you still feel off but are thinking, “Yea but they edit like this and they are getting so many bookings”, then STOP! Stop right there. Get conscious to that thought and run the opposite direction. Start playing with another preset again or keep tweaking the one you’re currently working on!
So, again, think about WHY you are using someone's preset. Is it because you want to copy someone to achieve the same success or does it make you excited and feeling like it's exactly what you have been looking for?
3. Don't Get Discouraged If It Takes Time
Four years ago, during the off-season, I started playing around with different presets. I caught myself thinking - which one do I go with, for literally 3 weeks! I'd even call my friend Agnes and ask which one was better. And she said to me - honestly, I can't even see the difference, either one is amazing, don't overthink it!
I know what it's like to get caught up in overthinking things, and there is some merit to it. Of course you want to make sure to make the right choice, but don’t go overboard! Trust you gut every step of the way, because I ended up deciding on what my gut was telling me in the first place! I could have saved myself 3 weeks!
On the flip side, don't get discouraged if it takes time to figure out your editing style. Learn through the process. Start by buying presets and apply them and see what feels right. It'll happen slowly at first. One session and one photo at a time but eventually you'll get there. All photographers feel like this at one point or another in their career. Just be patient and know that in time you will work your way towards loving your editing style for years! With slight easy tweaks along the way!
So far, it’s been about 3 years where my preset has stayed pretty much the same with slight tweaks to temperature and contrast each year, but it feels so good to finally be at a place where I know my preset is here for the long haul!
P.S. I don’t know what log haul means for me really. It could be 2 years, it could be 5 years, it could be 10 years. As I change and evolve as a human, so will be editing style. Who knows. But for now, and for the past 3 years really, I feel very content with it 😊
Another P.S. there will always be those lighting situation that will make you second guess you editing style! Don’t let those fool you! Those are there at each wedding and we just have to accept and not stress out over that so much. After all, it’s not the lighting, the editing, the lens even that you’re using that matters, in the end, in the people and the story being the photo. Always remember that!
4. Keep Your Editing Timeless
It's easy to get caught up in trends and what's currently happening in the world of photography. It's a limiting belief to think that unless you go in the direction where most of the industry is going right now that you won't book any clients. That sort of thinking comes out of fear. And again, I've heard this thought in my head before, too.
“My bookings will decrease if I don’t shift my style”
“Will I still stay relevant if I don’t shift my editing style to what’s trending?”
Following trends is one thing but you need to try your best to keep your editing style as timeless as possible.
Think about it this way. In 10 to 20 years, when you look back at your editing style, will you think - oh my god, I can't believe we used to edit like that? Remember selective color - those black and white images where only the roses are red for example? That was a trend but now we look back at it and it seems super cheesy. If you just want to play around and try super trendy things, just step back for a moment and ask yourself does it still have a bit of that timeless vibe.
You could argue that it's representative of a particular time and it's cool to look back and see how much things have changed. So if that speaks to you, trend away!
5. Tell Comparison to F*ck Off
Comparison stifles confidence. It stifles creativity and it's a trap I still fall into. But it feels so nice when I consciously get myself out of it. And I just feel free. On my vision board I have a note saying – “I do a thing called what I want”. And it's there to constantly remind me to do what I want and not compare myself to others.
At the end of the day, you don't know what the photographer you’re comparing yourself to is doing or feeling or thinking or what their goals are, etc. They are probably fighting their own battles in their head of comparisonitis possibly comparing themselves to other photographers too! Then it just becomes a whole comparison clusterfuck in the industry and everything starts looking the same. THIS is why it’s so important we consciously stop this cycle and set ourselves free to do what we want. Yes easier said then done. It takes work. It’s a constant practice. I myself experience the highs and lows of this, but every single year I grow into being more me than ever and the work is so worth it!
I want to remind you that your uniqueness is enough. And I know it feels weird to hear that because maybe you're going through a period in your life where you're unsure about what you have to offer and who you are. I've been through it. When I felt I had to be taking Pinterest-like, bright photos for example. But when I had a moment of introspection, I discovered that I am free-spirited and silly and I like doing things my way. I like that kind of freedom, and I realised I was attracted to people with the same energy and the same mentality. Those were the people I wanted to photograph and it translated into my work.
I also discovered that I'm a very sentimental person and I wanted my work to reflect that. So I decided to shoot things in a documentary style instead of the pretty Pinterest style. I wanted my clients to be able to look back at the photos and remember exactly how they felt in those moments.
Remember this:
Successful photographers have found a way to fearlessly tap into who they are and share it with the world.
One of my favourite quotes is: “Normal is boring”.
Think of how you get lit up when you see someone with the courage to randomly tell a joke in the elevator, or when you’re standing in line somewhere and you can see someone playing a practical joke on someone. It breaks up the mundane routine of everyday and sprinkles some special in that day! You get stimulated!
Give that gift to yourself to stimulate yourself each day..not that way you dirty person you..well, of course if that tickles your pickle go for it lol…but also help others have more exciting days by sharing your unique soul with them!
So in conclusion, when it comes to editing, it's about so much more than just editing. It's about who you attract. It's about being able to feel like yourself in your business and feeling less stressed. There are so many more positive side effects that come out of doing your own thing when you edit.
Thank you!
I really hope this helped inspire you to let go of the fear of comparing yourself to others and let go of feeling like you're not enough. If you're not where you want to be right now with your editing, be patient and have fun exploring YOU and being in tune with yourself. It feels so liberating on the other side!
If it did, please do me let me know by sending me a DM on Instagram (@saramonikaphoto). If you have a friend who's dealing with something like this too, share this blog with them!
Love you guys and thank you so much for reading!
-Sara Monika
If you're not subscribed to my podcast yet + you don't want to miss an episode, make sure to do so right now, before life gets in the way. Click here to listen and subscribe in iTunes!