The Problem with Presets

Recently I’ve switched from using exclusively Fujifilm cameras (namely the Fuji X100F and X-Pro2) to using a Sony A7Rii that my mother-in-law gave me. It had been sitting in a closet at her house and thankfully, she gets more joy out of me using it than having it sit on a shelf - not a common trait you see in most photographers with G.A.S.

I’ve really been enjoying this camera. I mean, kind of. It can feel clunky. And the images are clinical. But man are they sharp. I didn’t think I was someone who would hop on the full-frame, high megapixel bandwagon, but now, I’m driving the damn wagon, yelling ‘YAH’ so the horses go faster. Since I’ve received that camera (and bought a few lenses, because, G.A.S.), I haven’t picked up my Fuji’s.

But when I’m editing, I find that first, I’m only editing the raw images. I was so used to Fujifilm where I’d edit the jpegs, make a minor exposure adjustment, and throw on a preset and call it done. But now, I feel like I’m actually editing photos. Changing the white balance and tint, making sure the exposure is just right (because you can really stretch the exposure in those raw files) and just generally spending more time with each photo.

Well, not each photo. I still pick a hero, make edits, and then copy/paste to all other images in the set.

But still, I’m spending more time with the photos. And this has really got me thinking about my style. And it’s frustrating me a bit. A lot. Before, I had a handful of presets that I’d use for certain types of images and I was done. But now, I’m going back and looking at prior work and I’m not satisfied. And I think that’s mainly because I’m not satisfied with my current work either.

Looking at the work and websites of photographers that I admire, I find that I don’t have a cohesive body of work. When I look at the gallery on my home page, I just see a bunch of photos. I don’t see a body of work.

This becomes more apparent when I look at the yearly photobooks I publish for my own archival. I flip the pages, and it’s nice to see the progression of my skill - improved composition, better use of light, colors, and contrast, and just overall better storytelling. But I still feel as though I haven’t found my style.

And that’s got me thinking, I think the edit plays a larger role in finding your style than I previously thought. I think the problem is presets. And not that presets are bad. I think they’re fantastic. I think presets make that last little bit of photography easier. But if you look at my Lightroom, I have hundreds of presets. HUNDREDS! No wonder none of my photos look like a collection.

So how am I going to remedy this? I have a couple of ideas.

The first is figure out what I actually enjoy photographing. I started my photography journey thinking I wanted to be a street photography. And it isn’t that I don’t want to be that anymore. I do still love social documentary. I think it’s the rawest form of photography, the best physical storytelling that exists. But I’ve also fallen in love with the work of James Popsys and Kyle McDougall and wonder if landscapes are calling my name. I feel drawn to the simplicity of their photographs - the effect of humans on nature without capturing any humans. A way to photograph the human species without a human subject.

Now, no one says I can’t do both. Because I can. But the feeling of a photograph of an abandoned building on a beautiful landscape should have the same feeling as a lone subject waiting for a bus in the middle of a city, because I’m trying to tell the same story there - the story of the human condition.

And I think the way you get that same feeling is from the edit. The composition tells the story, the edit gives the feeling.

So, I need to find my style, my feeling, in my edits. And that’s going to involve paring down my hundreds of presets into two, maybe three. And a black and white. So max, four. And that’s going to hard to do.

But that’s the journey I’m on now.

Because when I look at my gallery, I’m happy with the stories. I’m happy with what I captured with my camera, the fleeting moment that won’t occur again.

Take these two photos for example. These two photos should have the same feeling to them - a feeling of tranquility, peace, and a little bit of irony. But these two photos are completely different. They feel completely different. The exposures and colors give two different feelings.

The photo on the left feels a little more serene, early morning, tranquil. But also muted like there isn’t really a subject and there isn’t a strong emotion.

The photo on the right feels too on the nose with the colors, and it feels like it’s screaming at you. Also, I’ll admit, the composition isn’t great. “Being in a pool” doesn’t need to be the main story, but with that composition, it is.

So, anyway, all that to say, I have a lot of work to do as a photographer. Because right now I’m not happy with the feelings of my photos. And I’m not happy that I’m trying to make the audience feel too many different feelings in a single body of work. That’s too many feels. That isn’t a body of work.

Wish me luck.

Stephen