Abi Coop
Melissa Richard
Kristen Ryan
Finding your artistic voice in photography is crucial for developing a unique style that sets you apart. And editing plays a key role in shaping your personal style as a photographer and storyteller. In this post, we will explore the impact of editing and how it helps create a cohesive portfolio. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced photographer, it’s important to understand how you can enhance your artistic expression through editing.
Your artistic voice in photography is the unique perspective and style that distinguishes your work from other artists. It’s developed through ongoing experimentation, self-reflection, and lots and lots of practice. Discovering your voice involves exploring different subjects, techniques, and genres to find what resonates with you. Over time, your artistic voice will evolve, influenced by your experiences and growth as a photographer. Understanding and cultivating this voice is essential for creating compelling, authentic work that truly represents your vision.
Editing is a powerful tool that enhances your artistic voice in photography. It allows you to emphasize certain elements, adjust tones, and create a specific mood or atmosphere. The way you edit can transform the same photograph into vastly different styles (which we will explore later in this post), highlighting your unique perspective. Editing helps bridge the gap between your vision and the final image, ensuring consistency across your portfolio. Effective editing not only refines your photos but also solidifies your distinctive style, making your work easily recognizable and unlike anyone else’s.
Developing a consistent editing style is crucial for building a recognizable portfolio. Consistency in editing helps convey your artistic voice clearly across different images, making your work easily identifiable. Consistent editing not only strengthens your personal brand but also attracts clients and followers who appreciate and recognize your unique photographic voice.
To demonstrate how our editing voices shine through, each of us submitted a RAW image for this post. There are so many different ways to edit an image, and it all has to do with our own unique perspectives, the story we want to tell, and our vision. Here we will show you how the same image can be edited according to each of our unique voices.
As you can see above, we all took the same base image, and put our own individual stamp on the final edit. We used different tones, added and removed different elements, and in some cases changed colors and skies! And even though we started with the same images, we used different techniques and our own unique styles to make the final results of our edits consistent with our individual visions and voices.
Finding your editing style requires exploration, education, and lots of practice. Start by experimenting with different editing techniques to see what resonates with you. Don’t hesitate to seek feedback from fellow photographers and learn from their experiences. Take editing courses and analyze the work of your favorite photographers. As you refine your techniques, focus on what makes your work unique. Regular practice and review of your edited photos will help you develop and hone a style that is distinctly yours. Embrace the process and continuously evolve your editing approach.
Finding or strengthening your artistic voice by improving your photography editing skills is a journey of exploration and self-discovery. By understanding your style, leveraging editing tools, and maintaining consistency, you can create a unique and recognizable portfolio.
We would love to be a part of your artistic journey! Check out the new Watch Us Edit vol. 5 Collab Course with Holly Awwad, Abi Coop, and Samantha Deakin. This course offers valuable insights and techniques from three experienced Hello Storyteller Mentors, helping you further refine your editing skills and artistic voice. The Live Run of Watch Us Edit starts June 17, 2024! Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your photography to the next level!
For more inspiration, follow Holly Awwad, Abi Coop, and Samantha Deakin on Instagram!