Wedding photographers are constantly on the lookout for innovative ways to differentiate themselves from the competition. Wedding photography is a highly meticulous industry, and one must incorporate various features that promote attention to detail to serve the final outcome of wedding photographs. The best way to bring in uniqueness is through mastering techniques related to editing photography. Editing is an art and needs to be understood depending on the requirements. Make sure that you use the editing techniques and learn them in such a way that they become your own individual style. In this blog, we are trying to introduce you to some popular wedding photography editing styles.
An exceptional editing technique will be shown in the final wedding photos. Most of the wedding photos are taken in RAW format, and such images have low contrast, saturation, and sharpness. The process of editing is one of the most important and requires a lot of time to do it constructively. Hence, all due importance has to be given, and necessary inputs have to be taken from clients about how they want their pictures to look in the end.
Go Vintage!
Vintage photos have a very unique outlook and give that dramatic 80’s vibe to the picture. It is a very old and tried technique, but the demand for vintage edits means that it is here to stay for the long haul. The photo gets its stained retro vibe from vintage editing. It can be used wholeheartedly in indoor and outdoor pictures. The vintage editing is done by slowly increasing the intensity of warmth and adding vignettes at the edges, which instantly give the photograph an old-fashioned look. This is a heavily used editing technique and hence can be found even in the basic versions of Photoshop.
Here we go with black and white!
Black and white editing is a timeless and classic technique. This look can add to and make any kind of emotion stand out, be it romantic, starry, or even dramatic. Many couples actually demand that black and white edits be infused into their wedding pictures because it is always felt that it can help bring a very defined texture to the pictures and make them even more striking than colored photographs. Monochrome editing capabilities, which are already present in cameras, are primarily used to embrace black and white into photographs. Sometimes grayscale adjustments and desaturation are done to convert color photos to black and white.
Let’s Matte it!
A matte finish is when there is a hazy look to the overall elements of the photo. The overall sharpness of the image appears to be a little off, but that adds to its beauty. A matte-finish edit is usually worked on outdoor photographs, and it is always done mediocrely so that it positively affects the elements of the photograph. Matte finishes have the ability to make light features appear lighter and dark features appear darker. The edit is available in Lightroom’s Develop Module.
Let’s go Fine Artsy!
A new approach to wedding photo editing is to add a finesse touch for a fine art look. These edits represent the grainy texture that is usually seen in film prints. Fine-art edits are usually done when the photo itself is taken in film mode, and then it takes extra time to work on it digitally. The highlights of the photo are made along with certain adjustments in exposure, so at the end, it looks more like a lifelike edit. The looks are incorporated by increasing the grains and lowering the saturation of the photograph to make it look more realistic.
Soft Focus
The soft focus edit gives the photographs a very dreamy effect. It is mostly used in the more intimate photos and close-up shots of the couple and gives them a more romantic touch. It is also used effectively in portraits as well. It helps soften unevenness and any other imperfections, which kind of take away from the quality of the photograph. Soft focus brings an aesthetic and ethereal appeal to the photograph. To get this edit, photographers would need to blur or use such filters using an editing tool.
Moody vibe
It is very new and already hopping on the wagon to make it the bible of edits in wedding photography. Moody photographs are the best way to bring a very dramatic, romantic, and cinematic feel to the entire picture. Moody edits are enhanced in the photograph by making the darker shades in the picture much more prominent. These features give a very unnatural look because of the amount of saturation used in these photographs. These pictures also come in strong orange or black tones, which can look a little off in printed form.
Trying out with tricky HDR
Editing in HDR takes some immense practice, and only then will you be able to do it effectively. This editing technique is heavily used when it comes to portraying the outdoors, especially nature and landscapes. The edit is not naturally used in wedding pictures because the skin tones look highly saturated. When using this for wedding photos, make sure you have a definite and skilled control over the saturation of the image, and it will be fitting to add vibrance and saturation only to necessary parts rather than the whole image. HDR editing brings in that dramatic effect that you are yearning for in the picture’s final outlook.
Be airy and light!
The most popular and widely used wedding editing technique is to select photographs that are light and airy. The light and airy look in the photograph is achieved through the use of light colors, soft tones, and compositions. It can easily be infused into group and romantic photos alike. It gives a very soft and dreamy look to the photographs. This editing feature is available in almost all photo editing software and is very simple to learn. Adjusting the white balance will help create a warm tone, and adding exposure and highlights is how you can incorporate this style into your own unique style.
Mixing and matching these styles in your editing needs is the best way to create your own approach for wedding photographs. To give quality photos and such, wedding photographers have to be consistent with your work and also try to embark on different styles when the need arises. Taking relevant classes and webinars will help you keep up with changing trends and become an indispensable part of the wedding photography industry.
Also read, Lighting tips for wedding photography