Develop your own photography style: Find your visual voice
The landscapes of Ansel Adams or the portraits of Annie Leibovitz are just two examples of unique photographic expression. A quick glance is all it takes to know who took these pictures. Many people who are more ambitious with their cameras strive for such an unmistakable look. Do you have to have a pronounced artistic streak or can anyone achieve this? Let's take a look at these questions: How can you develop an individual photography style and find your own visual language?
A personal photographic style is the result of a long journey
It can take years to develop your own strong photographic expression. This should by no means discourage you, but rather motivate you to embark on an exciting journey through the world of photography, through the images of others and through your own personality. From the interplay of these external and internal influences, your own creative identity as a photographer and a personal visual style in pictures will then slowly or quickly emerge.
You take the first step towards this with your choice of camera. Most people today shoot with digital models and look for their style in the practically endless possibilities offered by these cameras and, above all, image processing on the computer. Others are more enthusiastic about analog photography - sometimes spontaneously and almost always imperfectly with Polaroids or with classics such as the analog rangefinder cameras from Leica. Of course, the various lenses also have a significant influence on the visual language.
Trying out and experimenting with various cameras and lenses helps you find the preferred tools for your own visual language. In digital photography, the choice of motifs - portraits, landscapes or others - and the composition of the image in particular shape the aesthetic signature of the photograph. This composition includes the choice of lens, shooting angle or the preferred light. Leave the rest - exposure, aperture or ISO value - to the camera's automatic settings to begin with so that you don't get lost in the details while searching for your preferred visual language.
With analog cameras, on the other hand, you need to keep an eye on these technical aspects right from the start in order to develop your photography artistically. Photographic craft and theory are directly required here, which you can only gradually immerse yourself in later for the finishing touches in digital photography when you develop your photographic style. A personal photographic style is not created by technology alone - even the right equipment in your camera bag plays an important role. A high-quality bag like the William or Louis will ensure that you can take your camera with you safely and comfortably wherever you go - ready for the moment when your style takes shape. In any case, the decisive factor is your creative signature, and everyone has that in them. Sometimes all it takes is the right impulse to make it visible - and that's exactly what you can get: inspiration, experience and tools that make creative work easier.
Find inspiration and discover your own motifs
The images of other photographers, whether professionals or private enthusiasts, can always help you find your own visual language. Hundreds of thousands of them can be found online, often supplemented with details about the camera, lens, settings or image processing. You will quickly discover images here that appeal to you more than others. However, do not simply copy such image compositions, but only use their frameworks for your own image ideas. Take a closer look at these photos and find out what you like about them.
Do these impressions coincide with your thoughts on what you want to express or show with your photographs? By answering these and similar questions about your motivation, you will also gain good access to your own creative identity as a photographer. Because behind the desire for an individual aesthetic signature in photography, there are already concrete ideas and images that you may have been carrying with you for years or decades. You just need to discover them and then capture them with a camera for all to see.
Especially when spontaneous motifs crop up unexpectedly, it is helpful if your equipment is not only stored safely, but also ready to hand at all times. An elegant but robust bag or a perfectly fitting rucksack ensures that your camera goes with you everywhere - whether through streets, landscapes or cultures.
Another option for developing your own photography style comes with practice, practice and more practice. Take your camera equipment with you everywhere and use it as often as possible. Photograph everything, randomly, but not arbitrarily. With every picture, look at what you want to emphasize from this moment in a motif and how. This will result in a lot of pictures, but over time they will also help you to find your preferred style with camera settings or angles. The more often your camera is with you, the more opportunities you will have to hone your style - with a lightweight, well-designed bag or compact backpack, your equipment will always be ready to hand and protected.
Developing your photography style: lots of rules and even more options for image editing
Anyone who takes a closer look at photography quickly learns the rules for the "perfect" picture:
- Simplifying the main subject from the surroundings
- the picture frame completely filled by a subject by taking a telephoto
- avoiding the center or rule of thirds and a few more
These rules undoubtedly produce pictures with an exciting, dynamic effect or a certain something. However, a personal photographic style can also break them or play with them. A centered motif or a frame within a frame are just a few possible approaches for a rule-independent, artistic development in photography, whose image compositions can still work.
Image processing gives the photos their final finish, which gives you many more options than image composition in front of your lens. This opens up a creative space with far greater dimensions than in the camera or lens settings. Try out as many settings as you like, or choose a more convenient start with presets. These are available in a variety of styles for all common image editing programs. Preset after preset creates its own style - soft light, a colorful pop look, drama and countless other coordinated looks.
With a preset, you can give all your photos a uniform style with just a few mouse clicks. The sets show the image editing options at a glance. You can adapt all sets individually or use your inspiration to create a completely custom preset and find your own unique visual language.
Or simply summarized for each image: You never have to go the path to your personal photo style all by yourself. Use the many existing ideas for photographic expression and combine them with your own to develop your personal photography style - a style or look that ends up being as unique as your signature.
To keep your creative journey flexible on the go, it's worth investing in a modular camera bag - for example with a customizable interior like the Freiburg camera bag. This way, your equipment will accompany you stylishly and safely - wherever your visual voice takes you.
