“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9
The teacher was right. The more things change, the more things stay the same. If you were to start to look at most wedding photographer’s portfolios, after a while your eyes would start to glaze. Similar shots. Similar processing. Similar composition.
We are a cannibalistic bunch, and each new idea is quickly grabbed onto by a hundred other photographers—”But I’ve been working on this style for a while now…”
So how do you differentiate yourself from all the other photographers, visually. How do you create your own visual style?
There have been entire books written on the topic, and this advice is not meant to short circuit the suggestions you’ll find there. Instead, this is just a little insight I gleaned a few years back, which is this: take what you are doing now (wedding photography) and add in something completely different.
For example: textures have long been used in fine art photography for creative effect, but were rarely used in wedding photography until someone said “hey, what would happen if…?” Bam, suddenly it was the next big thing.
So, what can you take and add to your wedding photography to help create your own style? Maybe it’s shooting weddings with a wildlife photography sensibility (no lens shorter than a 600 mm). Maybe it’s shooting weddings in the style of Sin City. Maybe it’s lighting like Renoir, or bringing Monet’s colour palette to your post processing.
And don’t just ride the latest wave. Great, you discovered textures. And TRAII. So has half the population of the US. Stop it. Go find something outside wedding photography.
Not every combination works. Peanut Butter and Chocolate? Score. Peanut Butter and Dill Pickles? Not so much. Don’t be afraid to experiment. To grab ideas from sources outside wedding photography and add them to your palette. And you’ll find that as 1+1 becomes 1+1+1+1+1+1, suddenly, you’ve stopped being the sum of your influences and have created your own style.
Back Home
3 Comments at "One Plus One = You"
x = 7
So therefore 7 = your own unique style?
If she weighs as much as duck – she must be made of wood and therefore – a witch!!!!!
I actually like peanut butter and pickles…
Comment Now!