The Four Principles of Editing

Learn about my editing philosophy, and the four principles I always follow.

Prefer to watch this in video format?😏

Introduction

Before we get into the bulk of this course, I first want to go over what my personal editing philosophy is. By that, I mean the four principles that I follow every single time I go to edit a photo.

However, keep in mind that this is all subjective and not necessarily rules that every photographer should follow. But if you do want to emulate my style or use this as a jumping-off point in developing your own creative style, then this tutorial will give you some context as to why I edit my images the way I do.

Let’s jump in!

Principle #1: Non-Destructive Editing

The first principle that I always follow is non-destructive editing. This means that throughout this unit, I'm going to show you how to edit your photos in a way that doesn't destroy them as you go. 

AKA, if you make a mistake at any point, you should always be able to go back and fix it without having to start from scratch. This is super helpful if you change your mind frequently about images, but don’t want to waste time redoing everything you’ve already done.

However, keep in mind that this is a learned skill. There’s infinite ways to go about editing your photos, and if you start building a non-destructive habit early on, it’ll save you buckets of time in the future. 

This photo, taken off the Kancamagus Highway in New Hampshire involved a lot of moving parts. There was an exposure blend with the sky and a focus stack in the foreground. Using non-destructive editing techniques, I could ensure the process went smoothly.

Principle #2: Scrapbooking Mindset

The second principle I always follow is what I call the scrapbooking mindset. This means I give myself creative permission to do whatever I want to my photos, as long as I’ve taken the photos myself. 

For example, I allow myself to do sky replacements using skies that I’ve already photographed, add fog to images using brushes that I’ve created, and create artificial light sources with luminosity tools within Photoshop. 

I draw the line at utilizing AI and compositing other photographer’s work in my images.

I understand this is a fairly controversial opinion within the photography community because many people view photography as a documentary art form. However I see myself more as a digital artist. 

This means I like to pick apart different pieces of photos to create something more beautiful in my mind- something that may not necessarily reflect reality in the most accurate way possible. This is why I go by the alias Intricate Explorer, because I like to think of it as an extension of myself that sees the world in a different, more beautiful context.

This photo, taken at Punta Lobos in Mexico, features a sky taken from a separate adventure. However since the sun was in the same spot, the cactus is lit up exactly as it would anyway.

Principle #3: Romantic Realism

This leads me to my third principle, which is romantic realism. This principle states that while I can push the boundaries of romanticism and surrealism, everything in my images has to actually exist within reality. 

I can’t just have a planet hanging in the background or imaginary creatures painted in. Everything has to represent something that can actually exist in the real world. However, this does mean I can warp mountains to make them look bigger, stretch foregrounds, shrink rocks and distort trees. Whatever it takes to create the scene in my mind, as long as it’s grounded in reality.

This photo, taken at Playa Maderas in Nicaragua, is completely real- however increased the size of the rock formation in the back just slightly to compensate for the fact that I was shooting on a wide angle lens.

Principle #4: 24/7 Rule

The fourth principle I follow is more of a disciplinary rule that I’ve created, and I call it the 24/7 Rule. This principle states that within seven days of taking a photo, I have to have it edited. It also states that once I edit a photo, I have to go through a 24-hour cooldown period, where I step away from the photo and come back to it later to make any changes I see fit.

The reason this rule exists is because if I go more than seven days without editing a photo, I start to forget the elements that made the scene unique in real life. My excitement for editing a photo also begins to decrease rapidly after seven days, turning the process into more of a chore.

The 24-hour portion of the principle exists so that I don’t go overboard with my edits. Sometimes when I spend too long staring at a photo, I start to push things too far or lose track of the bigger picture. Being able to step away helps give me clarity and ensures that the photo is actually what I want it to be before I post it.

This photo, taken at the Pink House in Massachusetts, was a quick, one-ff adventure on my way up north for fall. I edited it the same night I took it.

Conclusion

With all that being said, these are the four principles that I always follow when approaching an editing session. Although they’re fairly basic, they ensure that I maintain a consistent level of quality across my images. You don’t have to agree with them, but they do provide a nice framework for a surreal adventure photography career.

Let’s go ahead and hop to the next tutorial, where I’m going to show you the Software and Hardware that I recommend for editing your photos.