Developing Your Photographic Style

How do I find my own photographic style? I've been asking this question for a while and I've been searching and studying and this is what I've come up with.

1. Stop looking at everyone else. Look around your house. Your town. Your family. THERE is your inspiration. You just haven’t seen it yet because you’re stalking someone else’s work. You browse that “other blog” and you love it, but it makes you feel crummy about your own work. Am I right? Well, unsubscribe and be inspired somewhere else.

2. Don't Copy. Don’t copy someone else’s photography style. Instead, take an IDEA and run with it. Find what you like about that photography style and make it PART of your photography style.

3. Shoot daily. If you shoot daily your photography style will emerge.

4. Learn the rules. You NEED to know the proper technique and rules if you’re going to break them. You have to know how to get proper white balance. How to compose an image.

5. Think about what you want rather than what others want. Shoot what makes YOU happy. Only still life, go for it. Only black and white, go for it. Be yourself and make you happy with your photography.

So I took these tips and ran with it. I've been looking over my photos from the beginning and I have discovered this about myself. I enjoy still life photography....taking inanimate objects and "bringing them to life". I also enjoy clean, simple styling. And, I really like close up photography. I adore shooting with my 35mm lens and I really like moody lighting.

After discovering these things, I decided to explore the post-processing arena and decide what it was that I like there. I process in Lightroom, and as I said, I like the moody lighting and I prefer a little moody processing to go along with that. I've purchased TONS of presets and I've found that while these presets look good on someone else's photos, I don't particularly like them on mine. Therefore, I worked to get a look of my own that I was satisfied with.

So there you have my photography style. How has your style developed? Have you noticed a big difference in the way you shoot or edit now, compared to where you were say, three years ago or even six months ago? Share your before and after photos in the comments section below, and any tips you might have for developing a personal photographic style.