Hello, fellow photographers! So, back when James and I started shooting weddings 10 years ago (oh, my goodness - has it been a decade already?!), one struggle I had was editing style. I didn't know the proper way to edit or what aesthetic our brand should have. I'll admit, the beginning edits were rough! I was SO self conscious about my editing, so I've been there! But, I learned, practiced, and increased my skillset. The big breakthrough for me was when I switched to Adobe Lightroom and started using the Tone Curve more. Up until that point, I had been editing and culling in Photoshop. Though I rely on both for editing (I do more extensive editing in Photoshop when the need arises - and all my artsy photoshoots are done in Photoshop), Lightroom is really just the best for culling large batches of images. I spend time on each and every image, and when you shoot thousands of images at a wedding, finding programs like Lightroom that can save time here and there is HUGE!
So, back to aesthetics. I just love wedding photos that are bright, light, and airy, so that is how we edit, but there are a lot of photographers who do dark and moody shots too. And those look great as well! Even if you choose one or the other, it's a good idea to play around in Lightroom to create both looks so you know how to use the tools in your toolbox. I did add in an affiliate link to Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop because as a professional photographer, those programs are an absolute necessity to me. So, if you don't have them yet, you've got to give them a try!
Now, of course the final product will depend on the image, but I put together a short tutorial to show you how you can get both looks from the same photo just with some quick edits in Lightroom! I chose an image with a light background to show how it can be done both ways. After all, as wedding photographers, we can't always choose the background. Sometimes we only have a bright sky, and sometimes we only have a dark forest background. But there are things we can do! So, play around with your edits, and I hope the video helps!