The Quickest Way To Find Your Photography Style 

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Decades ago a piece of feedback I received about the way I captured head shots of people, I was far too critical of my own photography to hear what someone was saying when it was positive. Recently I have been scanning old negatives and transparencies, seeing my old images through a different perspective. Images that I am proud to have taken.

This is the kind of thing you should continuously do throughout your life. I think it’s also worth noting that there is no end point. Everyday our work changes and develops if we’re out there making it. “Finding a style” is not something you will just accomplish someday. It’s also important not do define yourself and your work too closely. It will lead to many limitations. One more idea from me: the most success I’ve had in finding the work that I connect with has to do with exploring different cameras and mediums and techniques within photography. Be creative with how you make images. Even if the work looks different, you are a connecting factor through it all.

I can remember the first time I was told I had a style. It was by Ray Lowe, during a critique and he said he could tell it was my work because it weird. Now, my photography has evolved over the years, incorporating lots of different styles of other photographer, such as Joe Mcnally and Karsh, to create a style that was like an inferior Marco Grob, but what made my work stand out to Ray was the way I tried to tell a story in a photo, which is based on my cinema background. Now over the last, couple of years, I have tried to evolve my photography again, going down a completely different route, using much more depth of field and colour and the results, have at best been mixed, and at times pretty awful. So now, I am looking to go back to my older style but hoping to incorporate all the lessons I have learnt, over the last couple of years, to make me a better photographer.

Authenticity: if you can fake that, you've got it made. :-). Don't do what you think others want you to do. Don't do the opposite of what you think others want you to do. Just do.

Still work on my style, though some friend now tell me they notice these photos taken by Arne (which is me). Alex you convined me to be less concerned about feedback which is good or bad, more doing what I think supports my vision.

I wanted to express my heartfelt gratitude for your incredible content. As a photographer with 12 years of experience, your tutorials and insights have significantly helped me capture more meaningful and impactful images. I frequently share your videos with my students and friends here in India, and they find them immensely valuable as well. Thank you again for your amazing work and dedication to the art of photography.

To me, style comes from within primarily though the work others can influence you so that your horizons are broader.

This was a timely video for me. I get sucked down the hole of finding out post processing techniques, etc etc. And, just yesterday, I said to myself “When will I begin taking more Photographs that aren’t technical exercises?” I can’t find the aperture’s allies info in the description 😢

Is ok to copy someone else work but also at the same time just add your own spin on it and teat way you cane fins your style. I just use freeprints every month for £5 a get 45 prints mat finish is amazing ,thank you for a nother amazing video 🤗🤗🤗

Those are some beautiful photographs! 😊 But I realise that I don’t see as you do eg. angular lines is so unlike me. That was an Aaa ha! for me 😊

I've never really thought about style, I just had a lot of fun shooting when I took my first steps on the road of photography. Now years later I've come to realize and embrace that my style comes from something called the northern swedish vemod (kind of like melancholy seen through a gray filter with a bit of added darkness) and I have a lot of fun playing with that wether it's color or black and white. I Draw a lot of inspiration from director Roy Andersson and musical artist Thåström.

Interesting idea. I’ll have to try this soon.

Where is the link to aperture allies?

Style happens on its own if you let it. It's when you try to create a style and and up fabricating a styke that you can run into problems. If style is authentic, it will aside from the subconscious.

If I'm understanding this video, I should print some contact sheets and I should is what is common to most of the photos. Or am I missing the point?

There is no link to Aperture Allies in the show notes. Please provide.

I rejected this principle years ago because I was drawn to many types of photography and therefore would shoot Caravaggio style one minute and high key the next. I would shoot colour and then spend periods of b&w only. I like fashion style, landscape style, low key, high key, bold colours, muted colours it’s too boring to be pigeon holed.

Hi Alex, I try to have my own style but it's not always easy. One example is when I'm shooting a leading lines scene, I make the leading lines the main subject not what's on the end of the leading lines. Apart from being my own style it's a rule I break sometimes. I enjoyed this video, thank you 😊.

Thank you! Cheers from Poland :)

Thanks for sharing.

Another fascinating video, thank you. There is mention of a community called ‘Aperture Allies’ towards the end of the video, but the promised link does seem to have appeared. Does anyone know of this community - it sounds interesting?

There’s no link to Aperture Allies in the show notes. Please provide. Thanks.

Thank you for your videos, Alex. How is "style" different from "vision"? And if you have a "recognizable" style (ie. this looks like an Alex Kilbee photograph) is that a good thing or a bad thing? Thank you!

I focused more on what I wanted my images to say, and how I wanted people to describe my images. Once I figured that out, that is when my style came out. Do not fall into the trap of finding your style, focus on what you want your images to say!

I don't understand this whole buying presets thing. Why would you buy someone else's preset to establish your own style? Isn't their preset their style?

My photos are always, a few exceptions, of things that will serve as a memory for me in a few years time. If I don't feel the subject will evoke memories for me I won't take the photo.

informative content

Alex, what if you had discovered you didn’t like your ‘style’? I don’t think I have a style and would not like to know I had one! Maybe you could see a common thread in my photos but I would rather not know 🤣👍📸

It’s important to avoid a ‘style’ simply becoming a mannerism.

What’s in that cup?

Aperture Allies?

Style is one thing but repartition is entirely different, it's just repeating the same thing over and over.

How many images did you crop for this video ? 😂