As a natural light photographer living in a Scandinavian country, capturing bright and airy photos can sometimes be a huge challenge!
During fall and winter the light is VERY limited and many of my indoor photos come out of the camera looking like the “before” photo you see above.
Yep, it’s called REAL life!
As a photographer working with just the available light, the conditions are not always perfect enough to achieve beautiful images straight out of camera.
Here’s the good news. With the right skills, you can create stunning images that wow your clients, blog readers and Instagram followers.
And by knowing exactly HOW you can do it quicker and easier!
In my upcoming photography course I show you my personal workflowfor creating both light and airy photos as well as the more dark and moody styled photos.
I simply LOVE editing photos. It´s my meditation.
And it´s such a HUGE part of my creative style.
I dare say that image editing is almost 50% of the process to achieving a signature style.
Here’s What You Need To IMPROVE Your Photo Editing Skills:
#1. Photo Editing Software
You need a photo editing software program like Lightroom or Photoshop. I actually recommend subscribing for a monthly membership for both programs via Adobe CC. I use Lightroom for ALL my basic editing – because it´s super efficient and fast. And I use Photoshop for fine-tuning and giving my photos that editorial look.
#2. Shoot in RAW mode
THIS is KEY! Jpeg files are great for everyday photos of family and friends, but to achieve a professional looking imagery you must turn to RAW files. Raw files are simply unfinished photos. When you take a photo with your camera set to shoot RAW files, you´ll have to finish that photo inside Lightroom or Photoshop. This gives you enormous creative power – which is fantastic when you shoot in low light conditions, which I often do.
#3. Focus On The Basic
Be careful not to rely too much on presets and actions. With a basic understanding of editing you can easily create beautiful images inside Lightroom or Photoshop. AND you´ll save a bunch of money buying expensive presets. You can get a long way with just mastering the curve tool and the white balance.
#4. Don’t Over Edit Your Photos
When you first get into editing it can be a real challenge finding the balance between over-doing it and not doing enough. I really struggled with this myself when I started out. At first I didn´t do enough, and then I had a loooong phase of over-processing my photos – especially my portraits! It was all porcelain doll skin and shiny, non-human eyes! Ohh, yes! But hey, it´s a learning curve, right and while learning you are allowed to make mistakes.
The best tip to achieve that balance is to find a photo you like – a photo that has the editing style you like. (look at Pinterest or Instagram). Then use that photo as your reference guide while you practice your editing skills. Have it open in a window and look at it to see if you can match the look. You´ll learn a lot from doing this.
#5. Give It Time
Whilst editing can be a bit overwhelming, especially if it’s the first time you’re getting into post-processing, with patience and practice, you’ll be creating beautiful images in a matter of minutes. Give it time and don’t rush this process. Make it fun and enjoyable. Put on your favourite music and get to work. Experiment and don´ be afraid to make mistakes. Even after 10 years as a pro, I still manage to create photos that ends up in the trash can…it´s okay…it´s normal. You don´t need to get it perfect every time! It´s called being creative.
If you need help with your editing skills or you are not aware of how to use post-processing software to create stunning photographs, you´ll get ALL the training you need in The Lifestyle Photography Workshop.
IMPROVE YOUR EDITING SKILLS WITH:
- My Lightroom course module.
- My Photoshop course module – including professional retouching video tutorials.
- Workflow steps on how to achieve the most popular editing styles.
- Lifetime access so you can practice anytime, anywhere.
My photography workshop contains over 100+ lessons and lifetime access: the lessons are all the pieces you need to complete the puzzle to grow as a photographer and to take your photography to the next level.
I want to empower YOU to succeed and make your dream about capturing stunning photos come true.
In my workshop I cover everything you need to know:
* Photography technique and tools
* Photoshop + Lightroom Tutorials
* Floral Photography
* Food Photography
* Travel, Nature Photography
* Still Life and Interior Photography
* Trendy Editing Styles
* Trends in Lifestyle Photography
* Lifestyle Portraits
* Pro Retouching Tutorials
* Life and Career Motivation
* Interviews with amazing Photographers
* Creative assignments
* Personal Style
* Business-building
+ much, much more!
I promise it’s a lot of FUN and so much easier than you think.