Martijn Paar

Martijn Paar has no interest in restraint. The colours shout, skin tones run too warm, the greens are too green, the reds border on painful. And somehow it all works. Martin Parr photographed the British middle class with a ring flash in full daylight and Velvia slide film in his camera, and the results were always too much and exactly right. This preset is built on that approach. Not as a trick, but as a way of seeing.

Technically, the preset pushes saturation hard, with extra emphasis on reds, yellows, and cyans. Shadows stay relatively open so detail does not disappear into black. The contrast does not come from deep, heavy tones but from the collision of colours with each other. Skin tones shift warmer and slightly too pink, just as Velvia behaves under direct flash. Highlights hold their ground but take on colour all the way into the bright areas. The result feels exaggerated. That is intentional.

This preset works best on photos with people, colour, and life. Markets, beaches, garden parties, festivals, high streets on a Saturday. Bright clothing, plastic chairs, sunscreen on a pale arm. The more ordinary the subject, the stronger the effect. Street photography suits it well, and so does portraiture in a colourful setting. Avoid clean, minimal scenes: they will not survive this treatment.

You reach for Martijn Paar when you want a photo to take a position. Not documentary, not neutral. The preset makes clear that you saw something and formed an opinion about it. That fits work where irony and affection run together, where you look at something with a smile and a slight frown at the same time.

One practical tip: bring your exposure down slightly before applying the preset, especially if you shot in strong sunlight. The preset works with open shadows, but blown highlights lose detail fast. A small correction to the whites in Lightroom, or half a stop less in the original exposure, gives the colours room to do their work without the image washing out.