Alchemy is described as the pursuit of turning a common metal into gold almost as if by magic. I believe that presets are a form of alchemy for photographers; turning a common image into a work of art with a few clicks of a button...almost as if by magic.
1. Being a primarily outdoor photographer, most of my presets are designed with natural light in mind. However, there are a some presets I have designed specifically for indoor lighting conditions. If you're looking for a mix of both, I recommend getting The 5 Elements bundle.
2. Yes, I actually recommend it! I use every one of these presets in different lighting and conditions and I often mix and match them in a single session. I designed these to be extremely cohesive, yet versatile enough to be used in a multitude of shooting scenarios.
3. Each preset collection has a distinct color theme and something that I think they all are strongest at. For example, I love to use the Air Collection when there is a lot of blue sky showing in an image, the Fire Collection works best to make red and orange tones pop, and oddly is also my go-to for snow shots. I find that the Water Collection is strongest near bodies of water, and I use the Earth Collection for golden hour and in wooded areas. The Ether collection is specifically designed for low-light and blue hour conditions.
4. Yes, and yes! This was my primary goal in creating these presets. I wanted presets that work anytime, anywhere, and don't compromise the cohesive feeling of my brand. I have purchased preset packs in the past and they fell short in one area or another. I would find my consistent style thrown off when I would run into a session that they wouldn't work for. So my mission was to design an array of presets that work always.
5. If I had to sum up the style in one word, it would be "balanced". I wanted something soft yet contrasted, colorful, yet muted, filmy yet bold, all at the same time. My goal was to create something that produced a dramatic but calming aesthetic.
6. These presets are meant to be used on RAW files only. I do not recommend that they be used on jpeg files, though that is entirely up to the user.
7. Presets not only speed up editing time considerably, but they also offer a consistency to a photographers work that builds trust and recognition with their clients.
8. This depends on your style of photography and where you most often shoot. If you primarily only shoot a few specific scenes, I'd refer back to question 3 and choose the collections that best fit your scenes. However, if you shoot at a wide variety of locations like me, I recommend purchasing The 5 Elements bundle.
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