The glimmer of chrome in the sunlight. The creamy texture of the wood grain. The soft sound of water lapping against the hull of the boat. The reminiscence of a time long past.

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Nikon D7000 | 18-55mm lens at 22mm | f/4 | 1/100 sec | ISO 1600

This. This is what I love capturing in my photographs. The story. And the story is in the details…

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Nikon D7000 | 50mm lens | f/1.4 | 1/2000 sec | ISO 100

Nikon D7000 | 50mm lens | f/1.4 | 1/100 sec | ISO 100

The way I like to tell a story is through a series of photos, with details and close-ups that together make a whole.

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Nikon D7000 | 50mm lens | f/1.4 | 1/1250 sec | ISO 100

It’s important for these photographs to have consistency. Consistency in the lighting and in the way they were shot, as well as consistency in the way I process each image.

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Nikon D7000 | 50mm lens | f/1.4 | 1/2000 sec | ISO 100

You might be wondering how to create a clean, consistent collection of photos. And you wouldn’t be alone. This is a question I get asked quite often. Whether you’re shooting a portrait session or a personal project, whenever you’re creating a group of images that tell a story, the ultimate goal is consistency. So, I’d like to share with you a few techniques I incorporate into my photography process…

3 Tips for Creating a Clean, Consistent Collection of Photos

1 | Consistent Light

It all starts with the photo shoot itself. If you can, try to keep the lighting the same throughout your photos. Try is the key word. We all know that Mother Nature can throw us some pretty surprising curve balls, especially when photographing outdoors in natural light. One minute it could be beautiful blue skies, the next… clouds and rain. That’s why I use the word, try. Do your best to photograph in consistent light, this will make your job that much easier when it comes time to edit!

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Nikon D7000 | 50mm lens | f/1.4 | 1/1250 sec | ISO 100

2 | Have a Plan and Start with the Basics

It sure is tempting to jump right into Photoshop and start playing with all sorts of different techniques. I’ve been there. The excitement of seeing what you can create is overwhelming! But the first thing I like to do before diving into all things creative is think through my plan and get my foundation edits out of the way. That’s right. The boring stuff. I know, I know.

When you get things like white balance, exposure, clarity and color out of the way first, it gives you that foundation of consistency to build on. I like to start out by taking my RAW image into Camera RAW and adjust all the basics (white balance, exposure, etc.). Then I copy/paste those settings through the “Develop Settings” option in Bridge to the other photos I’d like to edit. This is my first step in creating a clean, consistent edit. This can also be done through Actions and Presets in Photoshop and Lightroom as well.

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Nikon D7000 | 50mm lens | f/1.4 | 1/2000 sec | ISO 100

3 | Constrained Creativity

You might be thinking that’s odd that I use the word constrained when talking about creativity. I mean, isn’t creativity all about no limits? Yes, but when we’re talking about a series of images, we need to be careful with our choices. What could work for one image, might not work for another. You’ll want to play around and experiment with different creative techniques on one or two images, but when you’ve landed on a look you love, make sure you don’t deviate from it when working with the other photos in the series.

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Nikon D7000 | 50mm lens | f/1.4 | 1/1250 sec | ISO 100

So there you have it, my tips for creating a clean, consistent group of photos. If you’ve enjoyed this article, jump on our email list (click on the graphic below) so you don’t miss out on others just like it!

Thanks for reading, and if you have any comments or questions, go ahead and leave those in the comment section below and I’d be happy to answer them for you.

Until next time,
Happy Shooting!