Developing Your Own Photographic Style

It has been said that you should develop you own personal style.

But what does that mean exactly? It sounds easy enough, but is it really that simple.
How do you begin to develop a style? I am sure it's something many serious photographers have thought hard about.

I would suggest that you.

Look at lots of pictures. I think it is important to look at the photography of others. Not just the kind of photography you do personally but all types. If you are a nature shooter for example it won't hurt to study commercial, fine art and photojournalisum. There are common threads in all photography.

Try to look at as many original photographs as you can. There is nothing like seeing finely crafted photographic images just as the photographer made them. Books and magizines are good places to view photography also, but do take the oportunity if you can to see the originals if possible.

Shoot whenever and as much as you can. Even shoot things you wouldn't normaly shoot. The practice won't hurt and you can't develop a personal style if you don't make images.

At first you may find that your work looks like the work of others. Don't be afraid of emulating great photographers. Remember it took them a while to get to where they are, so it will take you some time also. As an individual you look at things a bit different that the rest of us and that will show up in your work.

Building your own style takes time. Just like your personality, your likes and dislikes, and your world views, it can change over you lifetime. Growth is good. Change is healthy. Just be yourself and a style will come.

Defining Photography Styles or Shooting for a Specific Audience

Yesterday I was involved photo critique with some friends from a camera club that I am a member of. It was something we thought we would try and see if we would like to do on a regular basis.

Invariably the topic of why a good image didn’t score as high in the club monthly competition comes up. A big reason is that the maker didn’t take the audience in consideration when they entered their image. The same image entered in a juried competition may do much better. Just because a picture scores low one place doesn’t negate its value. Things that score high in a camera club competition might not do as well in another type of photography competition.

People expect to see certain things depending on what the type of photography they deal with. An advertising client is expecting to see images that sell his product; likewise a fine art photography buyer has a set of standards that he works from. So if you wish to excel in any area of the photographic craft you need to know who your audience is and what they expect.

In any photographic pursuit a photographer needs to be mindful of what the final use is of the pictures they produce.

Too Many Images

I was reading an article on HDR in the Jan/Feb Photo Techniques magazine and it was interesting and informative but something the author said got me thinking.

He said "The downside of using this technique is that I need more space on my CF cards and disks, as well as more time needed for processing."

My first thought was so what? Storage is cheap, computers are faster, what's the problem? I then had the thought that yes storage is cheap, computers are faster and that is a problem.

The reason that it is a problem is because of the greater volume of work a person can produce in a given period of time. We are getting away from the practice of looking at our subject in greater detail and really seeing what is the best view of our subject before we click the shutter. Just kinda shooting from the hip.

That's ok if you are shooting action or some fast paced event, you can't spend that kind of time. This is the time when you shoot a lot and hope for the best. But when it come down to just every day kind of shooting I think we need to slow down and take the time needed to make a better photograph.

Here's an example of what I mean. Last weekend My friend Steve and I went out with our 4x5 cameras to photograph in a couple of old cemetaries that I know of. In a period of 3 of so hours I'll bet that we together didn't make more that a dozen or so exposures. If we were working with our digital cameras I'm sure we would have taken 200 plus shots each easily.

The mechanics of the 4 x 5 camera and expensive of the film make you slow down and think about what you are doing. I'll bet that we get a higher percentage of keepers, because we more deliberate in our shooting.

I don't want to give the impression that I am against new photographic methods, I love working digitally, but I think we need to stress less about quantity and more about quality.

When we are out shooting the question shouldn't be how many shots did we get, we should ask if we got anything worthwhile.

The "created image" VS the" found image"

There are definite advantages to photographing in an environment in which you have total or almost total control. The studio allows you to do things that you couldn't do any other place. I love the created image, the process of bringing elements together, wrapping light around them to create a wonderful image.

Now I don't spend a hundred percent of my time in the studio photographing.
All though I do wander about with my camera on occasion. Often times with no specific
plan or subject in mind, just looking for what I call the found image.

The found image is the image that is there if you are paying close enough attention to your surroundings and are prepared to make a picture. I always see lots possible shots, but for one reason or another the image escapes my grasp. The light is wrong; I don’t have the right lens with me, no tripod. A million reasons mostly but mostly because I wasn’t prepared.

In some ways the found image can be more rewarding to me. I don’t have the control
that I do in the studio, but if everything comes together just right and I am
prepared, I feel extremely fortunate to take that picture. It’s like finding a rare gem
or gold in the backyard.

Here’s a prime example.
One morning on my way to the studio I had to take a detour because a warehouse building had a fire and the street I normally took was closed. The building was completely destroyed except for a corner of the building next to the street. On my way home as I passed the section of wall that was still standing the sunlight was streaming through the window and highlighting the smoke patterns on the glass. It was cool. Of course I didn’t have a camera with me (I failed to plan ahead). The next day I did take a camera, but the day was over cast. No luck the rest of the week. The next Monday they tore down the rest of the wall and the shot was gone forever. If I would have just taken my camera with me the first day I would have that image.

Here are 2 found images from the last couple of months.

My Trip Up North

My daughter and I recently traveled to the beautiful Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The reason for the trip was. for me to photograph and for her to have some downtime before she heads off to grad school.

We visited some of our favorite places as well as one or two new ones. I wanted to stay a bit longer but we had to get home and rejoin the real world.

If you have never visited Michigan's Upper Peninsula, do yourself a favor and make the trip. There are tons of places to make beautiful images just about any time of the year.


This image was made at the lower Taquamanon Falls. Moving water has always been one of my favorite subjects and there a many water falls in the U P that I have photographed.
I had brought along a 4x5 to shoot the falls, but I never took it out of the car.

I am hoping to go back in the fall to shoot fall colors if I can find the time. Maybe this farmer and his cow will still be out in the field.

Why Another Photgraphy Blog?

My idea in creating this blog was to share some of my recent images, experiences and some of my own thoughts on photography with others.

That is assuming that anyone is interested in my thoughts,experiences and images.

My goal is to post at least once a month, more if possible.

This image was made a few days ago when I attended a niece's wedding. It was shot in a utility room just down the hall from the room that reception was in. The door was open part way and the sink was screaming to be photographed. So I did.


I liked the way the window light fell on the sink, as well as the yellow colors in the sink and the tile wall behind. Often times I am attracted to everyday objects especially if they look interesting because of unique lighting, shape or color.

This just might be the best image I made at my niece's wedding.