Editing pictures is nowadays an everyday task of the photographer work. Adobe is since many years the privileged partner of photographers with Lightroom. To introduce the tools of the new version of the software, Adobe reveals the #LightroomStories. We explored the secret of the pictures of Flora Métayer, well-known by the Instagram community.

Flora Métayer is a French artist for whom urbanity doesn’t have any secret anymore. She knows how to see the best angle of every place she photographs. The editing she brings to her pictures through Lightroom CC, offers all the character to her final pictures.

She reveals us the secrets of her photographs, which pays a beautiful tribute to the urban environment around her.

Fubiz: How and when did you start to take photographs? Tell us your story.

Flora: Photography has always been more or less present in my life but I really rediscovered a passion three years ago. I then created my Instagram account and little by little opportunities came to me. I have been working for almost two years as an independent photographer.

Tell us your creative approach when you go shooting: do you go with a goal in mind or just with your camera on your shoulder and you let chance guide you?

A quote I like says that “photography is a brief complicity between foresight and chance”. Some shootings do indeed need to be prepared beforehand but I appreciate just as much leaving without thinking too much and hoping to fall on scenes of life to capture for example. It’s a good exercise to be on the lookout and work instinctively during my photo shoot.

During the photoshoot, do you already have in mind how you will rework and retouch your images on Lightroom CC?

I have always in mind the final rendering of the shooting but it happens to me to totally change direction when I arrive at the retouching stage. The possibilities being endless, I like to experiment new things as much during the shooting as during the processing on Lightroom CC.

What use do you have of Lightroom? Do you work with presets? What other complementary tools do you use?

Over time, I have put together a series of presets that I use every time, which allows me to get a certain homogeneity in my work. However, I adapt my settings according to each photo because I think that each image has its identity. I like to play with colors thanks to the graduated and radial filters, for example, which create beautiful luminous atmospheres.
I have previously, most of the time, made corrections on Photoshop with the localized corrector which quickly removes imperfections and other defects of the image for example.

Why did you take part to the Lightroom Stories project?

Lightroom being an unlimited creative tool that I use every day, it was obvious to accept to take part in this project. The opportunity to be able to show the way I work and the possibilities offered by such software immediately seduced me.

What challenges did the 3 photographed places pose to you?

Je considère chacun de ces lieux parisiens comme étant un challenge car ils ont généralement déjà été pris sous tous les angles. Cela pousse à chercher des perspectives différentes pour essayer de se démarquer.

I consider each of these Parisian places as a challenge because they have generally been taken from every angle. This pushes to look for different perspectives to try to stand out.
The bridge at La Défense was a real challenge because the photo had to be taken and retouched on the phone. This allowed me to rediscover the Lightroom app. I was surprised to find all the functions I used to use on my computer.

What advice would you give to photographers who want to use Lightroom CC?

I think we should not hesitate to test all the features. One can be a little lost during the first uses but it is a software that is very intuitive thanks to the sliders.
Tutorials are also available on the Adobe website, which can help to see a little more clearly if necessary.
I consider Lightroom as an additional way to stand out by creating a particular style of editing, while allowing to sublimate our pictures.

Thanks to Lightroom CC, Flora Métayer offers a unique grain to her shots. By playing with presets, tone curves and sliders, everyone can, at his level, offer the desired shine to his photographs.