January 29, 2014

How to Find Your Photography Style - Part One

I hear a lot of beginning photographers say they do not know what their photography style is or how to find it. Your photography style develops the more you practice creating images and trying out new techniques. If you want to get better, you have to start shooting lots of pictures.

Shoot lots of pictures daily.

At a minimum, shooting one photograph a day will create a record of what you like to shoot and how you like to shoot. You may have decided to pursing photography because you wanted to record your kids as they grow only to find you do not have the patience to run after them everyday trying to take a picture. You may find you like to take pictures of flowers because they do not move.

Try this:

Shoot at least one picture every day for the next 30 days. At the end of the 30 days, review the images and try to make connections. What do you notice?

Are all of the pictures of people? Are they close up shots or in groups?
Did you shoot a lot of pictures in color or did you process them to black and white?
Are more of your images of your environment?
Do you take most of your pictures outside your home?

The answers to these questions will help you start to see your style. In some cases, it will be plainly obvious. Other times, you may only see subtle clues into your style. This simple exercise will help you to decide the direction you want to take your photography and offer insight into your evolving style.