Finding Our Voice
I’m a firm believer that photography is art and that the final look of a photographic image should rest with the artist, in this case the photographer. Some photographers will insist that the real art of photography is all about the choice of subject matter and the arrangement of the composition of the image in the viewfinder. For example, Henri Cartier-Bresson, one of the world’s most famous photographers, was a stickler for getting everything right “in camera” and was famous for never even cropping his images. Bresson believed that the creative process, or art of photography, all takes place in a fraction of a second as the scene presents itself to the photographer. He cared little for what happened in the darkroom after the shutter was released.
"To me, photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as of a precise organization of forms which give that event its proper expression." ~Henri Cartier-Bresson
And, indeed, there are times when Bresson’s style of photography makes perfect sense. For example if you are doing reportage or you’re a photojournalist or documentarian. Many street photographers also prefer this style of photography. There are also disciplines such as editorial fashion, catalog, product, and food photography where lots of creativity happens in post production but some things like color and texture that need to be accurately represented are not altered.
Henri Cartier-Bresson Island of Siphnos. Cyclades, Greece .1961. © Henri Cartier-Bresson | Magnum Photos
At the other end of the spectrum, and for many of us, photography is less about realism but more about artistic expression. For example, conveying the emotion or mood that we felt when the image was captured may be more important to us than the physical reality of the scene. Or, perhaps, through tools available to us in post-processing we can transform an image so that the result is something new and unexpected. How we express ourselves creatively, whether we’re shooting in the style of Bresson or spending many hours on a computer manipulating a digital image, these artistic expressions are what gives each of us our own unique photographic voice or style.
Ansel Adams who was famous for his powerful black and white photographs, like this one taken at Yosemite, spent many hours in the darkroom manipulating his images extensively to achieve the look he wanted.
That Image Is Photoshopped
The reaction of most people when they see a photo that’s been unskillfully edited or retouched is usually…“oh, that image has been photoshopped.” In those cases, it’s pretty easy to tell that there have been some alterations to the photo. But, what most people don’t realize is that almost all digital images these days are “photoshopped,” in the sense that they receive some amount of out-of-camera editing using software like Photoshop, Lightroom, Capture One, or others.
Adobe Photoshop
One reason for this is that most professional photographers, as well as advanced hobbyists, shoot in RAW (meaning unprocessed), which gives you the maximum amount of data and dynamic range in a digital image. Dynamic range is simply the tonal range in an image, or the difference between the blackest blacks and the whitest whites. When you shoot a photo in JPG, the most popular digital format, software within the camera actually does some of the basic processing of the image and compresses it so that it can be used right out of the camera without any editing. However, all of the data used in those operations is forever lost and unrecoverable. You, of course, can still edit a JPG image using editing software like Photoshop or Lightroom but you compromise the ability to have more complete control over things like shadows, highlights, and white balance due to the loss of data in the image. In contrast to a JPG image, A RAW image will make available all of the data that the camera’s sensor was able to capture so that you have all of that information to work with when editing. The file size of a RAW image is larger but a RAW file will contain up to 50% more tonal range (dynamic range) than can be squeezed into a JPG file. It was only recently that you are able to shoot in RAW mode on a mobile phone camera without the assistance of an added app.
The RAW setting button on the iPhone camera.
Filters, Presets and LUTS…What Are They and Should I Be Using Them?
So, if we buy into the idea that photography is art then shouldn’t we be utilizing all the tools available to make our images stand out and be unique? Yes, sure, but with a caveat. In today’s hurry-up world, people want more and more one-click solutions and it’s no different when it comes to photography. One-click editing filters, presets and LUTS are all the rage. Some are made available for free and others have to be purchased. However, the thing that’s important to remember is that those one-click solutions represent someone else’s idea of what your image should look like, not your own. If you are trying to establish your own voice or style as an artist, then why would you want to apply another artist’s editing style to your own photos? Isn’t the whole idea to express your own creativity? With that said, some of these one-click editing solutions can be used as starting points for your own creative style. So, without going too deep into the weeds, let’s talk about the differences between filters, presets and LUTS and how they are used.
LUTS
In the simplest terms, LUTS (short for Look Up Tables) have to do with color grading or toning of your images. With a single click, a LUT can automatically convert a set of input colors from your raw image to a set of predetermined output colors. Used extensively in filmmaking, LUTS are used to impart a consistent and unique look across every frame.
The top image is a scene from Director, Ridley Scott’s film, “The Martian” as it was originally shot in camera and the bottom image is the same scene after a color grading LUT was applied. The color grading was used throughout the film to help convey the feeling of being on the red planet.
A scene from The Matrix as shot in camera (above) and with LUT color grading.
In still photography, a consistent color or tone applied across all of your images (color grading) can define your own unique look. Many of the most well-known photographers use this technique to make their images instantly recognizable.
A portrait by Annie Leibovitz is easily identifiable.
Like filters mentioned below, once a LUT is applied, there’s very little you can change about it except to adjust its intensity. You can, however, combine LUTS to get different effects. And, like presets discussed below, it’s possible to create your own LUTS using software like Photoshop or 3D Lut Creator.
Filters
Filters are everywhere. You can purchase them or you can find free filters available to you every time you post an image on social media such as Instagram.
Filters available to you when you post an image on Instagram.
You can think of a digital filter in the same way you’d think about placing a filter over the lens of your camera in order to change the look of your photo. Filters can change values like exposure, brightness, saturation and tint with a single click. However, except for the ability to adjust how much of the filter you want applied, you have no control and cannot customize the individual elements that the filter affects. To do this you need presets.
Presets
Unlike filters, presets actually adjust individual settings in your editing software. You can use the one-click method to apply the preset as is, or you can easily tweak the individual settings so that there are infinite possibilities for you to create a custom look for your images. Then, you can save your modified preset as your own “user preset” and access it whenever you want. Because presets are adjustable, even if they are not exactly what you had in mind after applying them to your image, they often serve as a starting point for a more satisfying result. There are a number of free presets available to you in editing software such as Photoshop, Lightroom, Capture One, etc. and there are thousands available for purchase. Creating and selling presets has become a real cottage industry.
Preset packs available from Matt Kloskowski. Click image to learn more.
In Summary
Whether you decide to minimize the amount of post processing you do and adopt a shooting style similar to Henri Cartier-Bresson or you enjoy manipulating your images and choose to take advantage of the hundreds of editing tools available to you, establishing your own identifiable style or voice will go a long way toward giving your images a more consistent look and feel and make your work more readily identifiable. In an upcoming blog post I’ll talk more about the danger of allowing social media to drive your own creativity and style.
