Photography Style: How I Created A Unique Signature Look

I’ve just published my latest video: How To Develop A Unique Signature Photography Style. You know how some photographers have such distinct visual styles, that their work is instantly recognisable? I think many of us struggle to develop our own signature style because our approach to photography is all about keeping up with the Jones’. About getting the same photos as everyone else.

Developing Your Photography Style

As a photographer, developing a unique photography style is not just about capturing the destination, but enjoying the journey. It’s about becoming fluent in visual language, so you can communicate your personality and ideas through your photos. By spending time off the beaten track, ignoring Instafamous locations and seeking out your own compositions, you can develop your own style.

Learning Visual Language

To become a skilled visual communicator, you must learn visual language. This is the first step in developing your own signature style because it will give you the confidence to seek out your own compositions. Spending time off the beaten track, ignoring Instafamous locations and in search of your own compositions, is a good way to develop your own style.

Communicating Your Personality and Ideas

To communicate your personality and ideas through your work, you need to be an obsessive student of people, of nature, of life. It’s important to find something interesting to say. But it’s your fluency in visual language that will enable you to consistently express those interests through your work.

Seek Out Your Own Compositions

Photography is about becoming fluent in visual language and expressing yourself through your photos. By seeking out your own compositions, you can develop your own signature style. Learning visual language is the first step in developing your own signature style. Spend time off the beaten track and become an obsessive student of people, of nature, of life.

Consistently Expressing Your Interests

Consistently expressing your interests through your work requires fluency in visual language. This is why it’s important to become an obsessive student of people, of nature, of life. When you learn visual language, it gives you the confidence to seek out your own compositions and communicate your personality and ideas through your photos.

Photography Style: In Conclusion

Developing a unique photography style is not just about capturing the destination, but enjoying the journey. Learning visual language is the first step in developing your own signature style. Spend time off the beaten track and become an obsessive student of people, of nature, of life. This will enable you to consistently express your interests through your work and communicate your personality and ideas through your photos.

Photography style, photography style, photography style, photography style.

Takeways

Here are five key takeaways from this video:

1. Developing a unique photography style is about enjoying the journey, not just capturing the destination.
2. Photography is a form of visual communication, and the more fluent you become in it, the better you’ll express yourself.
3. Learning visual language is the first step in developing your own signature style because it will give you the confidence to seek out your own compositions.
4. Spending time off the beaten track, ignoring Instafamous locations and in search of your own compositions, is a good way to develop your own style.
5. Fluency in visual language is what enables photographers to consistently express their interests through their work.

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Transcript

Photography Style

You know how some photographers have such distinct visual styles, that their work is instantly recognizable. Joey L’s a good example. I was in Europe a few years back and something in my peripheral vision caught my eye. I looked around, and found myself facing this billboard.

Joey L has developed a way of expressing himself that’s… so distinctly him, I recognized one of his new photos out of the corner of my eye. That’s pretty amazing right?

Enjoying the Journey

I think many of us struggle to develop a distinct style because our approach to photography is about keeping up with the Jones’. About getting the same photos as everyone else. I read an interview a few weeks ago that got me thinking about this. It was with this guy who judges travel photography competitions. Apparently, many of the entries feel like duplicates these days. The same subject matter shot in the same way.

I think this speaks to how we, as a community, think of photography. Too many of us fixate on the destination – on getting a great photo. We need to spend more time enjoying the journey.

Seek Out Your Own Compositions

The best way to develop a unique style is to pay less attention to what other photographers are doing. I know how hard that can be. We’re encouraged to collect travel photos as if they were trophies. It’s all about spending the least amount of time collecting as many popular landmarks as possible.

Maybe a change of perspective is required. When I started going off the beaten track, forcing myself to ignore Instafamous locations and in search of my own compositions, I realized something very quickly. I wasn’t a very good photographer.

Learning Visual Language

It turns out there was a massive visual language-shaped hole in my knowledge. You see, photography is a form of visual communication. The more fluent you become in it, the better you’ll express yourself. Over the years, I’ve slowly improved. I’ve started expressing my ideas, my interests, and my personality through my photos.

I can explain how this works better with an example. About a year ago, I created a series called ‘Fight Night’. I’m really proud of these photos, because of the way they visually express my ideas. I wanted this series to feel intimate, as if the viewer was right in there with the fighters.

Consistently Expressing Your Interests

To consistently express your interests through your work requires fluency in visual language. This is why it’s important to become an obsessive student of people, of nature, of life. When you learn visual language, it gives you the confidence to seek out your own compositions and communicate your personality and ideas through your photos.

In Conclusion

Learning visual language is the first step in developing your own signature style because it will give you the confidence to seek out your own compositions. In time, you’ll become a more skilled visual communicator, your interests, ideas, and personality will start shining through your work. That’s how to develop a distinct visual style.

But that’s just the first step. You still need something interesting to say. So many of the best photographers and painters were obsessive students of people, of nature, of life. But it was their fluency in visual language that enabled them to consistently express those interests through their work.