Five Common Struggles Every Landscape Photographer Faces at Some Point: Week 4

Welcome to week four in the five-part series: Five Common Struggles Every Landscape Photographer Faces at Some Point. This week we are going to talk about post-processing. Last week we talked about creating strong compositions. 

Do you struggle with post-processing? This is hands down the number one struggle I hear about when I talk to landscape photographers about what they want to improve. 

When I was a new photographer, I believed there was some secret formula to post-processing that I needed to learn, and once I realized this formula, my images would be transformed into something special. Well, I now know that I completely misunderstood post-processing's role in photography.

As someone who often takes creative risks in post-processing, I fully believe in the power of post-processing when infusing the final vision for a photograph. However, I also now understand that post-processing is only half of creating a strong photo. No magic formula inside Lightroom or Photoshop will revolutionize a photo. Instead, the secret to good photography begins in the field with the correct use of the technique. 

ISO 64, 20.5mm, f9, 1/25 sec

Furthermore, there is no one "right" way to post-process a photo. Inherent in the act of post-processing is the opportunity for the photographer to infuse their unique individual vision into each photograph. Yes, do learn the ins and outs of a post-processing program or programs as they will help you add contrast, clarity, dynamic range, colour shifts and creative touches but don't feel held back by "believing" there's a right and wrong way to address post-processing a photo. Edit your photos in a way that looks good to you. Follow your artistic eye and trust your vision for an image. 

Next time you're struggling with post-processing, remember that a solid photo begins with a strong in-field technique, and post-processing is only there to help you tweak your final vision into a photograph as you see fit. If you adopt this approach, I think you'll feel less of a struggle in your post-processing experiences.