Let’s bust a myth right out of the gate: editing is not your style.

Sure, a preset might enhance a photo—but it can’t rescue a weak image, and it certainly can’t define your artistic voice. A true, lasting photography style starts in camera. It’s shaped by the decisions you make before the shutter clicks.

After a full day spiraling down this rabbit hole (bless it), I broke it down into five key elements that actually build a consistent, recognizable style. These are your tools—not trendy filters or someone else’s preset pack.

Let’s unpack them:

1. Light: Your First Language

Photography is just a recording of light and shadow. Without light, there’s nothing. It determines skin tones, contrast, depth, and yes—how long you’ll spend editing that gallery.

There are two main types:

• Soft light – Think golden hour. Low sun, creamy tones, even shadows, and all that fairytale magic. Great for skin, mood, and editability.
• Harsh light – Midday sun. Think blown-out highlights, monster shadows, and orange skin tones. It’s challenging—but worth learning, too.

Pro tip: To find flattering light for your subject, stand at arm’s length and have them slowly turn in a circle while you observe their face. When their eyes catch sparkle and shadows melt—that’s your spot.

Practice chasing light. Notice where it spills, where it dances, how it falls. Learn to move during sessions—close, wide, circling around. That motion, combined with light-hunting, is what makes your images sing.

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2. Subject & Moment: The Soul

The second most common mistake I see in beginners? Shooting anything and everything. Aka: overshooting. Aka: “spray and pray.”

But capturing a moment—the real stuff—is where magic lives.

Think of it like this: You’re judging a photography contest. One entry is a landscape: beautiful, perfect exposure, textbook composition. The other is a grainy hospital shot of a new mother locking eyes with her baby for the first time. The lighting? Trash. The colors? Hideous. But the emotion makes your eyes sting and your chest tighten.

Which wins?

Exactly.

Moments > technical perfection. Every time.

Directing, shooting, composing, and emotionally connecting is a lot to juggle. But the more you practice, the more instinctive it becomes. Shift from technician to artist, and your work will leap forward.

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3. Composition: The Frame for Feeling

Strong composition creates depth. Depth makes a photo feel real. Without it, you’re left with flat, lifeless images.

Avoid placing subjects directly in front of solid walls or shooting head-on into a sea of green trees (shudder). Instead:

• Angle your subject for dimension
• Include sky for breathing space and contrast
• Use foreground elements to frame
• Embrace negative space—it gives the eye room to rest

And if all else fails: shoot wide and crop later. (No shame. I crop everything.)

Want easy homework? Spend five seconds before you click to compose with care. Watch your lines. Seek contrast. Look for symmetry—or intentional imbalance. Learn the rules, then break them with purpose.

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4. Texture, Color & Contrast: The Mood

Contrast isn’t just black and white. It’s smooth and rough. Bright and muted. Red and green.

You need contrast in your frame for an image to feel dynamic and alive.

Color especially gets overlooked. If you’re aiming for soft, neutral edits, but your client is dressed in bright red and standing in a neon-green park at noon—no preset on Earth can save you.

Color exists in real life first.

Shoot for the tones you want. Use style guides. Pay attention to fabric textures, hair tones, and what’s blooming in the background. Even shades of green matter—sage vs neon? Huge difference.

Presets enhance. They don’t perform miracles.

Your colors are your canvas—so paint it before you ever sit down to edit.

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5. Gear, Settings & Skill: The Foundation

Let’s not forget the nuts and bolts. Dust on your sensor, a dated lens, or the wrong shutter speed will sabotage even your best intentions.

Know your gear. Clean it. Use it often.

Master your settings (I’ll link a beginner-friendly tutorial soon). You don’t need fancy equipment, but you do need to know how to use what you have.

When settings become second nature, your creativity can take the wheel.

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And Finally… Editing

Yes, editing matters. But it’s the polish, not the pearl.

You can’t Photoshop depth, emotion, or well-timed light. An edit will only reflect the quality of the image it’s applied to.

A mediocre photo + great edit = still a mediocre photo.

A stellar photo + simple edit = jaw-dropping.

Build the bones in-camera. That’s where your style is born.

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In Summary:

If you’ve been waiting for the “perfect preset” to unlock your style, let this be your wake-up call. Your style isn’t in Lightroom—it’s in how you see. How you feel. How you frame and move and choose.

So get out there. Practice. Shoot intentionally. Play with light. Direct with emotion. Plan your color. Compose with care.

That’s where the magic lives—and no preset can take credit for that.