Wildflowers in Seattle. Edited towards yellow and higher contrast.
I struggled with finding one of these myself. When I decided to take my photos to the level of selling them I thought there had to be one way to edit for every situation as long as you shoot consistently. This could not have been more wrong so I decided to pick out 25 of my favorite photographers and just study how they edit, and after some time, tried to copy a few of my favorites. It seemed easy to mirror Lightroom settings from the likes of Jared Polin or Michelle Valberg (to name only a couple), but it took the fun away. I didn’t like the photos because they felt too much like a copy or just brainless. What all of that mimicry showed me was other people’s style. Someone else’s eye for light, shadow and color, and even though they are proven professionals it wasn’t mine.
Seattle wildflowers. Edited colder and blue towards reality and detail.
Make no mistake, I am still refining my style and probably will never stop experimenting and straying from my style just to see if I can find a new take on light and shadow. The key is shooting for yourself and editing for yourself, once you can duplicate proven styles on your own, you should start branching out to find yourself. There is no rush either, if you need to make money right now, standard editing styles and presets can get you there, but they also will not take you anywhere in this day and age. Don’t be afraid to look at all sides of whatever genre you want to enter, look at what is popular now, what is considered “all time great”, and where you want to fall on that editing spectrum.
Be patient, don’t make anything that is not for you first, and your editing style will find its way out through practice.