Tess Burris on Creating a Signature Style

“Recipes changed how I think about cohesion, pushing me to build sets that feel like they belong to the same visual world.”

Ten years ago, Tess Burris built her first recipe for a specific problem: low light iPhone photos that weren't handling shadows or tone the way she wanted. P5, added grain, fade, a cream highlights tint. It worked, and something larger clicked into place alongside it.

That first recipe didn't just solve a technical problem. It started shaping her style. Now, a decade in, VSCO Recipes is part of how she establishes mood at the start of every shoot, keeps color consistent across a full series, and holds a body of work together so it feels like it came from the same visual world.

In this conversation, Tess walks through her workflow, including the specific settings behind her most popular recipe, two community favorites she keeps coming back to, and why sharing recipes matters as much as building them.

1. What was the first recipe you created? Why did you create it and how did it inspire your creativity?

The first recipe I created 10 years ago used P5 with added grain, fade, and a cream highlights tint. I built it for lowlight iPhone photos to balance shadows and bring out cooler tones.

That exploration shaped my style long term and made me more confident working with whatever light was available.

2. What has been your most popular one to date / why do you think people gravitate to it?

My most popular recipe is:

• AGA2 +5.4
• Exposure -0.6
• Saturation +0.9
• Grain +3.3
• Highlights Tint (Cream) +7.0
• Shadows Tint (Red) +1.2

I think people gravitate towards it for its vibrancy. It enhances greens and purples, which is especially appealing when photographing subjects surrounded by nature.

3. How often are you creating recipes? What do they help you accomplish in your creative practice?

I fine tune and build on existing recipes with every shoot. They help me establish an overall mood early and keep colors consistent across a series.

Starting with a recipe, rather than from scratch, has been key to a faster and more consistent workflow.

“Starting with a recipe, rather than from scratch, has been key to a faster and more consistent workflow.”

4. Have recipes changed how you think about editing a series, not just individual images?

Recipes turned editing into a more experimental part of my process.

It changed how I think about cohesion, pushing me to build sets that feel like they belong to the same visual world.

That approach has led me to use color and tones more deliberately to hold a series together.

5. Do you check out recipes from other VSCO photographers? If so, what are some of your favorites and who created them?

Two recipes created by rafa-shoots

• A4 / Analog +4.5
• Exposure -.05
• Saturation +.03
• Contrast +1.0
• WB +0.4 0.0
• Sharpen +2

• DOG3 / ISLE OF DOGS
• Exposure +1.0
• Saturation -0.2
• Contrast +1.2
• Fade -1.0
• WB +0.4 0.0

6. How often do you share your recipes with other photographers?

Sharing recipes is important to me because they can inspire people to photograph subjects they might not normally be drawn to, or revisit older photos from a new perspective.

Sharing tools that spark new perspectives

Tess has been refining the same practice for over ten years. Building recipes, adjusting them with every shoot, and sharing them when they connect with someone else's work.

That's what a recipe-based workflow actually looks like in practice. Not a fixed formula, but a living creative system that develops alongside your eye. Start with a preset that gets you close. Layer in grain, tint, fade, and color adjustments until the mood is right. Save it. Apply it across a series. Come back to it on the next shoot and see what needs to change.

VSCO Recipes lets you save any combination of presets, tools, adjustments, and effects then apply your exact look to any image in one tap. Build it once, carry it with you everywhere, and refine it as your work grows.

Because consistency isn't a constraint. It's what makes a collection of images feel like a body of work.

“Sharing recipes is important to me because they can inspire people to photograph subjects they might not normally be drawn to, or revisit older photos from a new perspective.”