How Should I Edit? & What Is My Style?
How should I edit & what is my style?
These questions are completely a dog with no bite. These questions act a whole lot bigger than they actually are. & honestly they are questions that only you can answer. I simply cannot answer them for you, but I have given you plenty of questions to answer to allow your wheels to be turning.
The reason someone one cannot answer this for you is simply because if you decide to edit with the trends or edit in a way someone tells you to edit your mind is going to get burned out very quickly. You will eventually not enjoy what you are doing and that is surely not setting you up for success. The reason why regardless of your business or brand why I think you need to find your style is because once you do the creativity is truly going to thrive. Creativity can only grow if you water it, not if you try to shove things that don’t inspire you down your throat.
When I first started shooting portrait photography I was so dead set on being trendy. I wanted to make sure I was in with the trends. I was moody and very matte, which I have nothing against this style. However, for me and my business it brought me down instead of moving me forward. I was stressed and frustrated 100% of the time. I asked my friend, who actually was the opposite of me when it came to style and she responded back, “Dixie, How do you see the world?” I said, “I see the world as bright, fun, exciting and honestly like a fiesta … I mean I literally have a piñata in every room of my house.” She said, “Well my friend. You just answered the question for yourself.”
So, let’s start with … What Is My Style?
The biggest question to help you find your style is to ask yourself … How do I see the world?
Do you see the world as ...
Warm, Deep & very full of emotion
Bright, Fun & Exciting
Dreamy, Rosey & Creamy
Natural, Soft & Airy
Dark, Rich in Color & Bold
Did you notice how I mentioned more than just light & airy and dark & moody? That is because there are way more styles than just those two & honestly there are way more styles than just the 5 that I just mentioned. After you have explored the question how do you see the world let’s chat about a few more questions.
Do your eyes gravitate to more warmer (orange) or cooler (blue) images?
Do your eyes gravitate to more richer (darker) or softer (lighter) shadows?
Do your eyes gravitate to more vibrant (brighter) or muted (softer) colors?
After you have asked all of these questions for yourself I want you to then notice the way you edit now through your social media. Do they match? Are they different? 80% of people when I ask these questions say they are different. & honestly that is OK! It is ok to say hey how I have been editing is not my style. But I also want you to keep in mind how you edit is going to change over time. Think about yourself right now. You are not who you were when you were 8 or 9? No, you have evolved and you have changed over time and so will your style.
Whether or not it does match the way you see the world there is always growth & my friend I believe in you and your growth. Now, I want you to look over what you have written and I want you to name your style. Whatever you want to name it, but I want it to be something that excites you and gets you inspired to start editing those images.
& Just a little extra nugget. I want you to keep in mind that if you fall into more of a darker style, choose backgrounds that are going to keep that consistency to be darker. If you fall more into a lighter style then choose a background that is going to keep that consistency to be lighter.
Before we start working with presets I want you to take some time to really dig into this worksheet on what is your style and how I should edit. Simply because this is a lot of information and I truly want you to absorb it because going on to more information.