My Approach to Editing: Creating a Consistent Photography Style

When clients hire me, they're not just paying for the raw images I capture but for my complete vision - including how I process those images. Over the years, I've refined my editing approach to create consistency across my portfolio while respecting the unique qualities of each shoot. Here's how I think about the editing process.

Finding Your Editing Voice

Developing a consistent editing style doesn't happen overnight. It took me years of experimentation to land on an approach that feels authentic to my vision. The goal was never to create a rigid "filter" I apply to everything, but rather to establish a processing philosophy that guides my decisions while allowing flexibility.

Starting with Strong Fundamentals

My editing begins with getting the fundamentals right. Before worrying about style, I focus on proper exposure, white balance, and contrast. These technical adjustments create a solid foundation for everything that follows. I've created custom presets for different lighting scenarios (bright outdoor, indoor tungsten, etc.) that give me a neutral starting point.

I typically work through images in stages, beginning with these technical corrections on all selects before moving to more stylistic choices. This approach ensures that creative decisions are built on technically sound images. I find that many photographers rush to apply creative adjustments before correcting basics, which limits what they can achieve with an image.

When editing portraits, I pay careful attention to skin tones. I've created a custom color checker workflow that helps me establish accurate colors in-camera, which makes the editing process much more efficient. Getting skin tones right is non-negotiable - style choices come after this foundation is established.

Balancing Consistency with Authenticity

Creating consistency across your portfolio is important, but not at the expense of what makes each image special. Early in my career, I made the mistake of forcing every image into the same exact look, which sometimes fought against the natural qualities of the scene.

Now I think of my editing style as a spectrum rather than a fixed point. All my images share certain qualities - a particular approach to contrast, color relationships, and tone - but I allow flexibility based on the subject matter and shooting conditions. My branding work might lean into cleaner, more precise edits, while my editorial portraits might embrace more texture and mood.

I maintain a reference collection of my favorite past work that I regularly review to ensure new edits feel related to my established style. This helps me evolve gradually rather than making dramatic style shifts that might confuse clients.

Tools and Workflow Efficiency

My editing workflow prioritizes efficiency without sacrificing quality. After shooting, my process looks like this:

First pass culling to eliminate technical failures and duplicates. I do this outside of my main editing software to speed up the process.

Import selects and apply base corrections (lens corrections, custom camera profiles I've developed for each of my cameras).

Group similar images and edit the hero shot from each group first, then sync appropriate adjustments to similar images.

Final pass for individual adjustments that make each image shine.

Export with specific presets tailored to the delivery medium (web, print, etc.).

I work primarily in Lightroom for 90% of my editing, only moving to Photoshop for images that need specific retouching or compositing. I've built custom keyboard shortcuts and refined my workspace to minimize clicking around.

The most valuable editing tool isn't software but time away from the screen. I often make initial selects and adjustments, then step away before finalizing. This fresh perspective has saved me from over-processing countless times.

Developing your editing approach takes time and self-awareness. Pay attention to what you're naturally drawn to in your own work and lean into those qualities. The most compelling editing styles aren't typically the most dramatic or trendy - they're the ones that authentically amplify the photographer's vision while honoring the subject.