I know you've seen the histogram, maybe even read a tip or two about how you should be using it. But how many of us actually understand what it’s telling us? If you’ve been ignoring this powerful tool, you might be missing out on crucial information that help with your creative process.

If you’re a histogram expert already, rock on! But if you’re like the many photographers who have messaged me this week asking about it, this guide is for you. Let’s break it down step by step.

I'm going to walk you through the step-by-step process I used to edit this romantic wedding photo. This photo was taken at sunset with pretty harsh sunlight. Let’s work on it together!

First, I experimented with some of my custom Lightroom presets. I knew I wanted a moody, low-contrast look to match the harsh sunset lighting, so I went with my "Moody 02 Low Contrast" preset as a starting point. From there, I started fine-tuning the color and contrast.