If you love photography in general and spending time behind your camera, you might find yourself spending most, if not all, of your free time taking pictures of anything and everything or even just browsing other photographers images online through various photo sharing sites.
This is good. It is the best way to figure out your own particular photography style.
What is a Style?
One thing that you may notice about most professional photographers is that their photos seem to be extremely creative, follow a format and stand out. Some of the most prolific photographers can present you with an image that you know is instantly there's simply based on its style and format.
If you are an avid photographer looking for your own personal style and passion, we have some great tips to help you find your own artist’s voice.
Research Styles
One of the first steps is to look into different photography styles and find something that you enjoy or that stands out to you. If there is a particular subject matter portrayed in photos that you enjoy or a specific composition that you are passionate about, you might want to try focusing in on that type of photography.
You might be a fan of candid photography or taking pictures of your friends and family; you might be more interested in street photography, urban photography, portraits or even taking pictures of nature and landscapes. Focus on the thing that you really enjoy, that you're most passionate about, so you can hone your craft.
Create a Style by Borrowing Elements
If you idolize the work of other photographers you might want to try and recreate some of their photos or recreate similar photos so that you can learn the basics of improving your own photography. If your city has a famous local photographer, consider returning to some of their favorite shooting locations to capture new images with different angles of their favorite scenes.
To some it may seem like a direct forgery or a cheap imitation of a famous artist’s work, but it can be a great way to practice your photography skills and learn exactly what goes into creating a great shot that you would be proud to hang on the wall. After you start recreating a few of these images, you can eventually start to recognize opportunities on your own shoot locations.
(Success Tip #1: Even hobbyists can earn good money with their photos of people having fun. Find out how.)
Stay Creative
Most impactful photography involves creativity and to really start getting your photography noticed you will need to showcase something different and creative. Think of ways you can develop your photography, change some of the old photography conventions, or create something new and original. Don't be afraid to build two portfolios as a photographer or to have a few different streams that you focus your efforts into.
If you plan on trying to make money with your photography, try a few different styles to see what people might be interested in or what might speak to your audience. When it comes to creativity, it's important as a photographer to always have your camera nearby.
(Success Tip #2: The easiest way to learn photography when you have little spare time)
Planning out locations and shots can take real work and when creativity strikes you won't want to lose the moment. If you plan on discovering your style and becoming a professional photographer you will need to be consistently updating your work and producing something new and creative so keep your camera close and don't stop shooting.