I didn't set out to have a signature edit. It developed over a few years of making images in the same landscape — the Smokies, the Foothills Parkway, the woods east of Knoxville — and noticing what the light actually looked like and trying to match that in post. Warm gold in the highlights. Lifted shadows with a teal cast. Greens pulled toward olive. Blacks that breathe rather than crush. It's a palette I arrived at honestly, and it's stayed consistent because I've kept going back to the same places.
The practical question I get most often is about presets — whether I use them, whether I sell them, what I'd recommend. I do use presets as a starting point, but every image gets individual attention before it goes to a client. A preset is a direction, not a destination. The more useful thing I've learned is to have a clear picture in your head of what you're trying to make before you open Lightroom. Edit toward something rather than away from something. It's a small distinction that makes a large difference.
— Michael