Do you start working with an image with Exposure and Contrast at zero or do you begin with a lower setting. I have read of a photographer starting at exposure -1 and contrast -33. I have experimented with this approach and it has really helped with some images but not all.
More often than not I end up
increasing both exposure and especially contrast. In theory I expose-to-the-right, but probably often make too much allowance for highlights, and end up needing a boost to mid tones.
However, I find this depends greatly on the camera profile used (in the "Camera Calibration" panel). On my Nikons (D800 and previously D300) the different supplied profiles made a considerable difference to not only scene contrast but also lightness. Now I often use home-made profiles (using Colorchecker passport software), and they also result in different contrast and lightness.
However, the differences are (in my experience) not consistent from one image to another. It might of course be that my exposure is all over the place, but I don't think I'd find it helpful to start at any fixed point in Lightroom. Well, I suppose actually I do: I start with all controls in the basic panel at zero, then often click "Auto", just to see what it does. I don't necessarily leave the auto settings, and sometimes undo, but I find it a useful point of reference.
In particular, the Auto control often makes a good job of identifying white and black points, and setting "Whites" and "Blacks" accordingly. It's often too tolerant of what it thinks are specular highlights, and I sometimes find I bring Whites down a bit.
