How I Edit My Photos
It isn’t a secret that I edit my photos on Instagram, and I have no intention of making it one. Often times I think there is a common misconception about what editing photographs means. Of course, how each person edits their photos varies, those who may not edit often assume that editing means face-tuning to a point of un-recognition, making body parts larger or smaller, adding abs, etc. I think it’s important to clarify: editing does not have to be these things.
When I edit my photos I always keep in mind the unrealistic beauty expectations that are pressured amongst women EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Therefore, the biggest change in my photos that I make, is Airbrushing a pimple (or a multiple). I’m sure some of you are thinking, “Well doesn’t that just coincide with the unrealistic beauty expectations?” and my answer to that is no. It doesn’t follow these expectations because in every way I am real with you guys about my acne struggles. I’ll be the first to proudly say I photoshop my pimples out, because my acne doesn’t define me. That being said, the Airbrush app is offered in both the Apple and Android store. It offers a range of editing, from pimple patching to darkening a tan. I was going to feature a before and after I edit some acne out, but I don’t save those pictures often, as again, I try not to let my acne define who I am.
My next and final step in editing happens in VSCO. VSCO is also offered in Apple and Android. With every photo I edit, I always use the J5 filter. How intense I use the filter is dependent on where the photo was taken and the lighting, but I usually stick to +5.0. I find that it always makes my skin look really nice while not ruining the lighting of my photo, which a lot of filters tend to do. Whenever J5 doesn’t work (which is rare) I use another one of the J filters in the series. Two things that I’ve learned from my “experience” in editing photos, is to NEVER mess with your exposure. Exposure truly makes or breaks a photo because it’s the most easily spotted change that can be made. The second rule of thumb that I follow is to never mess with the saturation of a photo, unless you desperately need to. If you go into the app and turn the saturation up half way, you’ll see what I’m talking about. Something that I always do with my photos besides use the J5 filter, is raise the contrast, but only to +0.2 and no more. Lastly, I’ll adjust the photo to make sure it’s straightened. Below are some before and afters/with and without filtration.
The process of editing my photos is really simple, but that’s because I try to keep it as close to my original photo as possible. If you have any questions feel free to leave them in the comments and I’ll help as much as I can!
