Jun09
Personal Style through Your Lens
I have a confession to make. When it comes to photography, my personal style is pretty much a product of the moment. There isn’t a lot of consistency there. Sometimes I look to shoot explosive, colorful scenes with crazy intersecting lines. Sometimes I like to shoot portraits. Sometimes, as in the image here, I favor muted tones that I can further mute with software. 
Does that variety make me a good photographer? Or an aimless one? Do I do myself a disservice by not sticking with one style and approach over another?
A few weeks back I posted a poll on this web site and I’ve been negligent in reporting the results until now. I asked a simple question: “Do you generally plan your photos?” The results were quite striking. 66% of those of you who responded said “No,” you do not plan your photographs. 24% said “A little” and just 9% of you said “Yes.” I think that tells us a lot and may have some bearing on the question of style.
I’ve read before that to be really successful as a photographer, one must develop and cultivate a personal style. The thinking is that everyone’s eye is unique, and if you can carve out that little place of uniqueness with your own lens, then your images are more easily remembered. Then if you’re really good, fate plays an odd game with your style by allowing other photographers to copy it. Yes, imitation is a form of flattery.
Frankly, the argument that photographers do well to cultivate their own personal style makes a lot of sense to me. But it’s wrong. Well, not wrong - but incomplete.
It is true that commercially speaking, a photographer’s style can become a trademark. Certainly if you consider the greatest photographers of all time, they each had an artistic style which was easily identifiable as their own. Did they cultivate this intentionally? Perhaps, but I doubt it. My own thinking is that the greatest artists (whether they use a camera or a paintbrush) develop their styles much more subconsciously - as a direct reflection of their personal choices as artists.
Because everyone’s personality is different, a style emerging in one person could be quite different than in someone else. What then do you do with a personality like mine? (No - please do not use the “Comment Form” for that! :-)) My very nature is a jack-of-all-trades. That’s a great skill to have as a reporter, since we cover a world filled with vastly different stories. But in photography, does it serve me well? My “style” - if it exists at all - could only be described as “varied.” Is that a bad thing? Should I try harder to stick with shooting one type of subject? Landscapes? Portraits? Macro? Street scenes? Architecture?
I suspect that if I did concentrate my picture-taking in one area, over time a recognizable style would emerge. I think professional photographers develop their styles very much for this reason. They are repeatedly faced with different, but similar shooting situations, which force them into very personal expressions of creativity.
Ultimately, I do think a personal style can be a useful thing. It can obviously make someone more marketable (provided they don’t suck). But having a personal style takes work and commitment over time - it doesn’t just happen. So for those of us who do not make a living with our cameras, spending that amount of time getting really great at one thing - and developing a personal style in the process - may not matter as much. In essence, it is something a serious amateur can afford not to have.
Do you agree or disagree? I would love to hear your opinions on this subject so please feel free to comment. And while you’re at it, cast a vote in this week’s poll in the top right column.
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Peter Costello Jun 10th 2007 at 04:14 am 1
Nice write up. I have thought about this myself. I definitly think a personal style is a good thing, although I don’t have one. It’s ultimately the point of difference between you and so many others. That said, I am not a professional photographer, nor is it my intention to become one so one it hasn’t bothered me too much.
What I have thought about though is shooting series’ rather than just whatever takes my eye, I do plan a lot of my shots in as much as, “Today I’m going here to shoot this” but restricting myself to shoot with certain lighting or with a theme in mind would be a beneficial exercise in developing a style, me thinks.
Alternatively writing a brief may be a good place to start? ANyway, that’s enough from me. Good read, Cheers.
Wojtek Jun 10th 2007 at 11:36 am 2
Hi, thanks for the nice article!
To me, personal style is a must. Well, not in the sense that I will die without it, but I think that in the moment when you’ll start developing your skills and interests in particular photography area and you’ll see that something is changing - you can consider that this is your chance
There’s nothing worse than a regression, and the stagnation is always a regression. Therefore, optimizing your results and coming up with new things narrowed to your area of interest is always very good 
Rodger Kingston Jun 10th 2007 at 12:55 pm 3
For me, the idea of developing a personal style is putting the cart before the horse. We don’t develop a style; we discover it (or not) in the process of making photographs and carefully looking at and thinking about them, and living our life. A personal style comes much more out of who we are than what we do.
If we have a point of view in life, we will most likely discover that we have a point of view in photography. If we are masterful in one area of life - a doctor, a gifted conversationalist, an athlete, an empathetic listener, or whatever - we can explore bringing those skills to our photographing.
It all goes back to a few years before photography was invented, to the Socratic idea of the examined life. Just keep looking: it’s in there.
You can judge whether I have any idea what I’m talking about by checking out my web site at . There are two political and two personal galleries. I hope you enjoy them.
John Roberts Jun 10th 2007 at 08:23 pm 4
I think the “personal style” tag is much overblown in importance. Could it be just another way of saying, “all your photos look the same”? I don’t want that label.
One of the things that keeps me interested in photography is that there is always something new to explore, including new styles of shooting. If someone commented that they could pick out one of my photos just because of my identifiable style, that would be my signal that it’s time to take up something like stamp collecting.
Christopher Scholl Jun 10th 2007 at 10:16 pm 5
Those are all really good points made by Peter, Wojtek, Rodger and John. To me, the diversity of opinion on this subject is interesting. Rodger’s suggestion that we discover a style rather than develop is certainly true. But I suspect many photographers consider the potential marketing value in “adopting” a style rather than just letting one emerge with time. Is it a “true” style at that point? I don’t know. Shades of gray I guess.
In any case, thanks for your comments - you all have me thinking!
Hemant Anand Jun 11th 2007 at 04:53 am 6
To be honest, whenever I see a great photo (because of the artistic touch), I myself want to take similar photos. I get influenced by good photographers and do feel that I should have my own personal style even at the cost of imitating others.
The reason for that is, I want to learn, I want to be creative. At the moment I shoot anything I can. I don’t stick to a particular theme (landscape, Portraits etc.). I shoot everything. I don’t think so far I have found my own style. I guess it takes a long shooting time to find out the patterns.
But following someone’s style is a great way to learn yourself and see the world with a different eye.
Have Fun !
http://serenity.aminus3.com/
julie Jun 11th 2007 at 11:44 am 7
It’s something I’ve been mulling over a lot lately, too - and one of the general conclusions I’ve come to is that it’s definitely not something you can go out looking for, rather it’s something that you discover in looking back at what you’ve already been shooting. What I’m interested in, though, is what actually goes into the making of a style - a preference for a particular subject? A favourite focal length/composition/processing method? I seem to be known for simple, striking compositions more than anything else and I’m trying to figure out how I feel about it!
Looks like a great blog… off to explore now
Christopher Scholl Jun 11th 2007 at 12:30 pm 8
I’m inclined to agree with you, Julie. And thanks for visiting. Hope you visit again soon!
Jim Goldstein Jun 11th 2007 at 04:26 pm 9
Nice write up. I’ve been thinking about this on and off again for the past year. I’ve stopped worrying about it. Most of the time we have a style, but we’re seldom aware of it. I thought I had no style, but a friend one day commented on an image of mine that it looked very “Jim Goldstein”. I was quite surprised to get that comment.
I don’t think it’s essential to have a style, but I think as a photographer evolves one emerges inherently. As a student of the trade and art of photography I’m constantly looking to learn something new. The output of that process looks rather scattered I’m sure, but when you focus in on a subject or project that you love whether you know it or not a style almost always emerges.
I disagree with you that a style is only important to professionals. It clearly does help with marketability, but amateurs also benefit in that viewers can discern your work from the hoards of other photographs out there. A style doesn’t mean that your work looks the same, as someone has said in the comments, it means that there is a trademark quality to them. That could be a subtle component of your post-processing, composition, subject, etc. Styles come in all shapes and forms and their evolution can be planned and spontaneous. I think its safe to say there are no absolutes when it comes to a photographic style.
Regards,
Jim
Christopher Scholl Jun 11th 2007 at 04:40 pm 10
Very sharp comments, Jim. And I take your point on style being important to more than professionals - I stand corrected. I also think you have an excellent point when you talk about the subtleties of style. And given that, one would expect “style” to be an almost unavoidable effect of one gaining experience as a photographer.
Andrew Ferguson Jun 12th 2007 at 01:51 pm 11
I equate the concept of a personal photographic style with the way that certain Hollywood directors have a personal style. Perhaps I’m too much of a cinephile, but that’s where my brain goes first.
Some directors have a deliberate, overt style and others have a much more subtle one that they’re probably not even personally aware of until they get the reviews. I think having a personal photographic style is much better developed as a subtle, unconscious thing. Pretty much exactly the way you stated it, I agree.
There’s also a fine line between “personal style” and “repetitive moneymaking gimmick.” Just look at Anne Geddes.
Andrew Ferguson Jun 12th 2007 at 01:54 pm 12
@Jim:
I’ve only been reading your site, JMG-Galleries, for a short while. However, based on the images you post, I do feel like you have a subtle but distinctive style to your photos.
I’m not sure how to put it into words. I wouldn’t recognize one of your shots with the same visceral reaction I’d have to a Van Gogh, but I could probably pick yours out of a lineup of half a dozen landscape photos.
I think it’s a strong focus on texture and lines that makes your images distinct from others.
Christopher Scholl Jun 12th 2007 at 02:08 pm 13
Hey - don’t knock babies in flower pots! I wish I’d thought of it!
Maybe I could get my son to pose. Nah, he’s 16. I don’t think he’d go for it.
Andrew Ferguson Jun 12th 2007 at 02:44 pm 14
Hahaha. I admit, it was amazingly cute the first time I saw it.
But seriously, how long has she been riding that horse into the ground now? I’m waiting for the book that’s all adorable babies in bee costumes being put in sleeper holds by Mexican luchador wrestlers.
That would be too hilarious not to buy.
Your Personal Photographic Style Jul 2nd 2007 at 01:45 pm 15
[…] it comes to photography. I pointed out the advantages of developing a style of your own, including marketability. But, I confessed, I am not certain I have ever quite been able to develop what I would call a […]