How to Identify Your Photography Editing Style ( & Free Quiz to Find Your Style)

Without including the photographs I used to take on digital cameras when I was younger, I’ve been practicing photography for around 10 years. When I purchased my first DSLR camera, I immediately became interested in photographing things from family events to updating self-portraits to documenting trips. It quickly became something that I’ve grown to love and even think about turning into a nice little side job before.

How making presets came to be was because I got tired of purchasing presets that just didn’t work right for my skin tone. When I started making my own, I began sharing them because I figured if I was having difficulty finding some, others had to be too.

During this time frame, I’ve developed what I believe to be my photography editing style. Although it’s definitely changed in some ways over the years, as can be seen in some of the presets I’ve put out, ultimately the vibe is still very similar. I’d personally characterize my editing style as airy. While there are variations depending on the mood of the photograph and the lighting composition, most of the time I tend to lean more towards an airier look.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably trying to figure out your own photography style. Maybe you like airy photographs, but you also like photographs that are a little sharper. Perhaps you love the look of darker, moodier photographs, but you also want something a little lighter. In today’s posts, I’m going to be sharing some tips with you that have been helpful for me, as well as sharing a quick quiz you can use to find out your style.

Before we get into that, allow me to disclose why this can be helpful.

WHY DO I NEED TO KNOW MY EDITING STYLE?

Whenever I’m looking for photographers, I look for whether their style matches what I’m hoping for with our photographs and for consistency in their edits. I do this because I want to know, before making any sort of investment, that I will be getting the type of style that I desire – even if the lighting composition is different. If I see too many differences, I’ll worry that when I do finally get our edited photographs, they’ll look nothing like the ones I actually hoped to get.

When people are investing in your photography, they want to know they’re going to get what they asked for. Having awareness of what your editing style is means that there is going to be consistency in the edits you provide as well as a consistent theme in the examples you post. People looking to work with you have a clear idea of what your work is like and therefore will feel more confident working with you.

Not only that, but it helps a lot with branding and promotion! If you notice whenever I make posts regarding certain edits, I’ll use certain keywords in them that fit my editing style. I do this because I know that people will be searching those keywords in hopes of finding presets or tips related to that editing style. Similarly, when someone is looking for work with a photographer that fits a certain style, they’re going to be searching for those keywords.

IDENTIFY EDITS THAT YOU LIKE:

Are there photographers that use certain edits that you tend to like? Before developing my editing style, I remember being inspired by certain photography that fit the vibe I tend to go for now. I love how creamy airy photographs tend to be and found myself gravitating towards photographers that had similar styles. The way you like your photographs to look when looking for photographers to work with is probably your own personal editing style as well.

LOOK BACK ON YOUR EDITS – IS THERE A PATTERN?

Look back at some of your previously-edited photographs. Is there a common theme among them? Similar to the “why” I presented earlier in this blog post, you want to identify any consistencies within your current edits.

While every photograph is not going to look exactly the same, there’s usually a theme in the photographs that they share. Perhaps the photograph focuses on deeply saturated photographs that bring out deeper hues in their photos. Maybe it’s the fact that all of the photographs, regardless of lighting, have a soft, almost matte texture to it. Whatever it is, there’s usually some sort of common quality. Find it and hone in on that.

TRY THEM OUT:

One of the other ways I discovered what my editing style was over time was by playing around with different edits. If you look at my earlier photographs, there are photos that are sharper than others or more contrasted. Eventually, I began to find out which ones I liked and as my editing skills developed where I could achieve the look I desired, I stuck with it.

Even as recently as one of our most popular opt-ins for our photography newsletter “Presets for All.” My editing style has changed since the presets I provided in that pack. Although there is definitely a similar theme, I’ve practiced a lot since then and have been able to hone in on my style more.

I’d recommend playing around with different types of presets and edits to find the one that fits the styles you like the best, while eliminating the ones that don’t.