CAPTURED - Weekly Newsletter

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Your Edits Aren't Off. You've Just Changed.

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Hey Reader,

Ever look at your photos and think:

“This just doesn’t feel like me anymore”?

Tbh, same.

And honestly, I’ve learned that feeling isn’t a red flag.

It’s a sign you’re growing.

p.s. I walk through this whole shift inside Lightroom in my latest YouTube video; watch it here.​

What Changed For Me

A couple of years ago, my edits were all about pop.

Exposure up. Shadows lifted. Saturation boosted, especially blues and oranges.

It made sense.

I was shooting for brands, travel clients and Instagram.

I wanted clarity. Brightness. Attention.

However, over time, I began to notice something.

I’d finish an edit, post it, and feel…kind of nothing.

Not because it looked bad. But because it didn’t feel like how I remembered the moment.

The light was too clean. The mood was too lifted. The colour was too loud.

So I started changing things.

At first, I thought I was making a mistake, since I'd become recognisable with this style.

But the more I trusted it, the more I realised I wasn’t editing worse. I was editing differently, because I’d changed.

I'm pulling back exposure now

Instead of pushing brightness for the algorithm, I let highlights stay soft.

I underexpose slightly (-0.85).

Let the shadows sit (0).

It makes the photo feel slower. Richer. Less forced.

More like how the light actually felt in the moment.

Sharpen less. Mask more.

I used to crank sharpness up and call it done.

Now I mask the sharpening so only specific parts of my photos get hit.

The image still looks clean, but it now breathes.

It doesn’t feel like it’s been pushed through a machine.

Colour is more subtle....but still there.

I still use warmth and often push it above the correct white balance.

I still tweak hues and push away from yellows towards the oranges.

But I’m not blasting vibrance anymore.

I’m controlling the mix and keeping everything neutral.

I want people to feel the image before they notice the edit.

Re-editing old work is part of the process.

Sometimes I’ll go back to an old favourite, strip the edit entirely, and start again.

Not to fix it, but to see what it could become now.

That’s where I notice my style the most, how it used to be about visibility.

And now it’s striving for depth.

Where do I want your eye to go? What emotions do I want this image to evoke?

Or more simply, does this image look professional or too travel-blogger?

These are the questions guiding my sliders way more right now.

Letting go of the need to 'pop'.

This might be the biggest shift.

I used to worry that if a photo didn’t stand out, it wasn’t strong enough.

But now I see it differently: not every image needs to shout.

I want my work to feel calm and intentional, not desperate to be noticed.

Final thought.

If your edits aren’t clicking lately, it doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong.

It probably means you’ve changed, and your style is catching up.

Your taste is evolving. That’s a good thing.

So pay attention to what you’re drawn to now.

Build a moodboard. Re-edit an old image. Go shoot something with that new feeling in mind.

And remember, you don’t need permission to change your style.

Catch you next week,

Matty 📷 🚀

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P.S. If you’re in that beginner-to-intermediate stage and want help with camera settings, light, editing, and building a style from scratch, Capture to Keep is my beginner course.

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Whenever you're ready, there are 3 more ways I can help you:​

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🚀 Free Training – If you’re ready to grow your brand & start making money with photography, this is for you.

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🤔 Not quite there yet? Start here:

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📸 My Photography Course – Learn the fundamentals & take pro-level shots with my beginner course.

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🎨 Level Up Your Edits – Make your photos pop instantly with my Lightroom presets.

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