Maine & NH Wedding Photographer // Mentor Series: Presets Can’t Save You (But Learning Light Can)

Let’s get one thing straight: presets are a tool, not a magic spell.
You can slap your favorite moody tones or warm edits on an image all day—but if your light is a hot mess, that preset isn’t gonna come in like a fairy godmother and fix it.

You’ve gotta learn your light.
Whether it’s natural light, artificial light, or the weird overhead fluorescents at a church basement reception, if you want consistently strong work… you’ve gotta know how to work with what you’ve got.

Natural Light Isn’t Just “Find Some Shade and Hope for the Best”

If you’re only shooting during golden hour and crossing your fingers the weather cooperates, you’re gambling with your client’s memories. And yeah, golden hour is dreamy, but what happens when your couple’s ceremony is at high noon in full sun and the venue has no trees?

You need to understand light direction, quality, and how to shape it.
Know how to backlight. Know how to diffuse. Know how to use shadows intentionally—not just because you forgot to rotate your couple.

Natural light is a beautiful beast, but only if you actually know how to use it.

Artificial Light Isn’t Cheating—It’s Just a Damn Good Tool

Let’s kill the myth right now: using flash doesn’t make you “less natural” or “too studio.”

It makes you prepared.

Sometimes the venue is dark. Sometimes it’s raining and you're inside a barn with no windows. Sometimes you’re doing a sparkler exit at 9PM and the only light source is a bug zapper.

If you know how to use OCF (off-camera flash), bounce flash, or even just on-camera fill correctly, you can take control of the scene instead of panicking and bumping your ISO to 12,000.

Light is your paintbrush—don’t be afraid to bring your own colors.

You’re Never Done Learning (I’m Definitely Not)

I’ve been doing this a minute, and guess what?
I still go to workshops. I still watch courses. I still try new lighting setups just for fun.

You’re never “too good” to learn something new. If anything, the better you get, the more you realize there’s so much you don’t know. That’s not imposter syndrome—that’s growth.

Lean into that. Be the person who’s curious. Test weird light. Try stuff. Fail sometimes. That’s how you become the photographer people can trust in any lighting situation, not just the dreamy Pinterest-approved ones.

Presets? Cool.
Editing style? Great.
But if you’re serious about elevating your work, start with light.

• Study it.

• Practice it.

• Learn how to shape it, bend it, and make it your own.

Because at the end of the day, your clients aren’t hiring you for your Lightroom sliders. They’re hiring you to make them look and feel amazing no matter what the lighting situation is.

And that starts with you knowing your craft.

Got questions about gear? Want a breakdown of my go-to lighting setups? Hit me up.

Keep learning. Stay humble. Light it up.