What Does “True To Color” Actually Mean For My Images?
“True to Color” is a style of post processing where the colors and tonality of the image are rendered in a way to be truthful to the scene as it naturally occurred. Another way of describing this style is to say that it looks realistic in that the colors are not pulled too far in any specific direction. This is only one of many different styles of editing available today, depending on the photographer you work with. Below, I will mention a few reasons why I process my images, “True to Color.”
While the life of a creative is an ever changing process of experimentation, I have personally found the most comfort working in this style. While I am sometimes drawn to images that are extra moody or unnaturally colored, I find there is often something taken away from the subject. Unless the image was specifically planned with a certain mood or “Edit” in mind, such as with fine art photography, I want my subjects to easily come through in my images. I put a lot of effort into studying the way light plays across the forms in the scenes I photograph and want the final product to show that in the truest way possible.
Another reason why I edit true to color is because I believe it brings a timeless look to the work. Like most anything else in life, photography has trends. These trends may be the coolest thing ever, until they’re not. This isn’t to say they’re bad in any way just that trends typically play their role and then slowly fizzle out. I don’t want that to happen to my couple’s wedding images. I want them to look back at their album, decades from now, and see the colors of the bridesmaids’ dresses or the flowers in the boutonniere and be taken back to the memories associated with those moments. I want things to feel real and truthful rather than stylized for a short period of time that they may grow tired of later on.
Lastly, editing true to color allows me to really acknowledge the day and choices that came together for the wedding. Planning a celebration this big takes a lot of time and effort on the part of the couple and all their helpers. The last thing I want to do is desaturate, or change entirely, the colors they took weeks or months to decide on. Weddings are a huge investment, not only in money but, in time. Every couple does things differently and makes choices specific to who they are and what they value. I want to value them by capturing their day in the most truthful way I can.
As I said in the beginning, true to color is only one way to process an image. I think the style a photographer works in, including how they edit their work, is incredibly important to pay attention to when looking for someone to capture your special day. We all have our own approach and no one way is better than the other, just different.