So, I decided to give this parker awad style a shot recently. Saw some images, you know, that specific look, and got curious. Thought I’d try and see if I could replicate it or at least get close with my own stuff.
First thing, I dug around to understand the vibe. Looked at a bunch of photos people tag with that name or style. It’s got that moody, often desaturated thing going on, sometimes filmic, sometimes leaning into greens and blues. Okay, got the general idea.
Then I opened up my usual editing software, Lightroom mostly. Didn’t grab any specific presets right away, wanted to try tweaking things myself first. Pulled up some photos I took a while back – some portraits, some landscapes, just a mix.
Getting Hands Dirty
Started messing with the basics. Lowered the saturation quite a bit on most shots. Played with the tone curve, usually making an S-curve but keeping the blacks slightly lifted, not completely crushed. That seemed key to that faded look.
Colors were the tricky part. I spent ages in the HSL panel. Tried shifting the greens towards blue or yellow, desaturating yellows and oranges, making the blues deeper, moodier. It felt like walking a tightrope. A little too much one way, and it looked weirdly artificial. Not enough, and it just looked… dull.
- Dropped saturation overall.
- Lifted blacks slightly using the tone curve.
- Shifted hues, especially greens and blues.
- Added a bit of grain sometimes for that film feel.
Honestly, it wasn’t as straightforward as just slapping on a filter. Some photos kinda worked, especially ones shot on overcast days or with specific color palettes already in them. But throw in a sunny day shot with bright reds? Forget it. Looked totally off.
Reminds Me Of…
It actually reminds me of this phase I went through years ago, back when I was just starting out with web design. Everyone was obsessed with neumorphism, remember that? That soft, extruded plastic look. I spent weeks trying to make every button, every card look like that. Got pretty good at it too, lots of fiddling with box shadows.
Then, like six months later, the trend just vanished. Poof. And all those designs? They looked dated, almost instantly. All that effort trying to perfectly replicate someone else’s specific style, and for what? It taught me a lesson, though. Styles come and go, but understanding the fundamentals – light, composition, color theory in photography; usability, structure in design – that lasts.
Trying this parker awad thing felt similar. It’s a distinct look, sure. And learning how it’s built by playing with the sliders is useful, teaches you about color grading. But making it your only style? Or trying to force it onto every photo?
Final Thoughts
So, yeah, I spent a good few hours on it. Got a couple of images I thought looked decent, captured that specific mood. But it’s not something I see myself using all the time. It’s quite niche. Works for certain subjects, certain lighting, but it’s not a universal sauce you can just pour over everything.
It was a good exercise, though. Made me really think about color and tone control. But I think I’ll stick to developing my own adjustments, maybe borrowing bits and pieces from styles like this when it fits the photo, rather than trying to chase a specific named look wholesale. Feels more authentic, you know?
