Editing Style

[nerwin]

I agree

Should you find your own style of editing and stick with it?

I've never understood why some photographers want to edit in a "style".

Style is developed when a photographer is booked because people like how that photographer's images look. And if they get consistent bookings for that look, then you either consciously keep it, or a your "style" develops over time as you get used to shooting/editing in a particular way or have a particular workflow.

Actor headshots are a perfect example of this (certainly in the UK, anyway) and casting directors can often know exactly who shot an actor's headshot solely on it's style and therefore, how much money they spent on it, which can translate into how serious that actor is about their career, which can lead to that actor getting many more bookings.

These headshot photographers are well known for their individual styles and are quite distinctive and recognisable from each other:

Colour Headshots - Jon Holloway Headshots
CATHERINE SHAKESPEARE LANE
Charlie Carter Photography professional actors headshot photographer
Actor s porttrait gallery Some used in Spotlight directory
John Clark Portrait and Casting Photography

I can see a pro photographer who has a niche product needing to be identified by a style but .......that sounds so dull to me.
Every pic needs to be considered as individual. I must have taken 1000 pics of the desert in Qatar (and will be taking more this weekend) but every set is an evolution in processing and different from the previous set. Good / bad / better / worse is just a matter of opinion. Style has a time constraint.

I did an experiment with the same picture processed very conservatively and another version tone mapped up the wazoo (to the point of garish cartoon). Guess which version got most likes on flicker?

My money is on the tonemapped one!

 

[Designer]

Style is developed when a photographer is booked because people like how that photographer's images look. And if they get consistent bookings for that look, then you either consciously keep it, or a your "style" develops over time as you get used to shooting/editing in a particular way or have a particular workflow.

My earlier post was not clear.

I was thinking of the new photographers who think they must develop a style of processing immediately upon declaring themselves professionals. I presume that also implies a style of capture as well, although it was not mentioned in the OP.

Of course I get that photographers will exhibit a style after shooting for a while, and as you say; the style is recognizable.

 

[Forkie]

Style is developed when a photographer is booked because people like how that photographer's images look. And if they get consistent bookings for that look, then you either consciously keep it, or a your "style" develops over time as you get used to shooting/editing in a particular way or have a particular workflow.

My earlier post was not clear.

I was thinking of the new photographers who think they must develop a style of processing immediately upon declaring themselves professionals. I presume that also implies a style of capture as well, although it was not mentioned in the OP.

Of course I get that photographers will exhibit a style after shooting for a while, and as you say; the style is recognizable.

Cool. I misread your previous post then.

 

[Claudillama]

I editing style isn't the same as it was last year. I am always improving, and always finding new ways for my photos to look fantastic. Never stop evolving my brother!

 

[Eventer]

Just a different point of view: I'm a sports photographer and I have a lightroom preset for all my event images (Such as my DP) - I still through them one by one and tweak them but they all still get the preset and a base edit

 

[gckless]

I think that there can be certain themes (or styles of edit) applied to different groups of types of photos. For example, I just got back from Japan, and many photos of shrines and temples look good in B&W. However, some also look very good a little (not cartoonish, to instagram levels; a little) saturated due to the extravagant color. You could also apply a vintage look to them and be fine. You could probably bulk process the photos in any style mentioned and still have it the photos look good individually. But when viewed as a photoroll/book/what have you, I think it gets a little boring then. I'm in the camp that you don't need a theme to every photo you process. Choose what looks best to you. If it happens to be the same preset every time, so be it. Just don't start out editing in the mindset you need that preset once you're done.