How To Find A Creative Voice In Photography

[@angelamaloney4871]

I’m amazed how many people have completely missed the point of this video. Want to develop your eye as a photographer? Want to understand artistry in photography? Want to master communication and expression in photography? Want to develop your own style? Look at quality work by other photographers. In fact, don’t just look at it. Study it. Look at why it works so that you can pick up lessons to use yourself and learn what you actually prefer. And Alex is absolutely right about that. By the way, looking at quality work doesn’t mean looking at whatever has a bunch of likes on Instagram. That will give you an idea of what’s fashionable. And most of it will be crap. Just pose in a bikini or hug a puppy and you will get tons of likes. Great work is work that passes the test of time. It’s vetted and published by people who know what they are talking about. This is how I went from, “Oh, well, I think I’ll get a camera” to being represented in an art gallery, earning an ambassador title, having people start to write about my photography, instructing photography classes, etc., in under two years with no effort at advertising. I spend a ton of time with photo books. And not just photo books, but all kinds of art. Studying camera settings, on the other hand, offers little value. Even studying technique has limited value. That’s like learning how to say things without figuring out what to say. It works far better to figure out what you have to say and then figure out how to say it. And that’s where studying art will help. Unfortunately, most photographers don’t understand this, don’t want to understand this, and will argue about it. That’s fine. But it’s also the biggest secret many people succeeding in photography have.

[@HJ-nh1wl]

I too, in my early days back in mid-80s, ‘copied’ the great and the good at that time. However, very soon (just in time!) - I had to carve my own path in Landscape Photography (in particular, the Lake District on Film - Fuji Velvia). But I adopted the policy of ‘One Camera, On Prime Lens’! This saved me - and developed my own ‘Photographic Style’! However, I did use the famous landscape photographers as inspiration - and not chasing the same locations they were covering!

[@rodrigolopesfoto]

Always a nice talk with profound questions. You so help me understand myself and my search! Thanks and congrats!

[@ThePhotographicEye]

Thank you.

[@rodrigolopesfoto]

@@ThePhotographicEye Awesome work you do here. I tell about your channel to all my student.

[@carolwatts944]

I have had the pleasure of attending several of Art Wolf’s seminars (I attended his one on abstracts twice) & a workshop in Olympic National Forest, both in Washington state. He is a consummate artist & educator. I know my work would not be what it is w/out his instruction & leading. Was such a nice surprise to hear you quote him & show some of his work. 👍🏻👍🏻

[@ThePhotographicEye]

Thanks for watching

[@VictorReynolds]

There are photographers who have influenced me, however at day’s end it’s my own creative imagination that counts.

[@Webpromotions]

H'm. I'm humbled that I've over 15000 followers on FB and a few thousand followers on Insta, but I really don't think that I have a 'style' yet. I just take photos of what I like. But you've hit a nerve, I'm trying to develop a style that is 'me' not a style that others expect of me. It's fun finding myself.

[@MichaelLaing71]

I love this video. I am a huge fan of printed media. When I started out I completely rejected, looking at other photographers work, wanting to have a 'style of my own'. Learning on the job from shoots, what makes me the photographer I would become. Years down the line, I look at that naivety and want to bang my head against a wall. The truth is, I only started to become the photographer I am now, when I started looking at other photographers work. Taking elements that I saw in their work and integrating those ideas into my work to become a photographer who many say 'has a style' and even now, I feel that my style is still evolving, particularly since going back to university to do my Masters degree and being exposed to a wonderful library of books, that has changed the way I think of photography and how I photography.

[@ThePhotographicEye]

That’s awesome

[@isuii]

I like my shots to look sad or melancholic. I want my subjects to have deep character. Very emotional.

[@davidmarshall5665]

I bought a Peter Vincent book last week and it’s full of amazing photographs and it’s a real quality book too.

[@silvestersze9968]

This’s another awesome video! Thx Alex. 🎉

[@ThePhotographicEye]

Thanks for watching

[@Rob.1340]

Thank you. I like the work of Art Wolfe too. All the best. 👍📷😎

[@ThePhotographicEye]

Thank you

[@thomaschamberlin2485]

Art Wolfe is very well known in the U.S. due to his long-running travel photography television show, Travels to the Edge, on public television. Before that he notoriously caused a stir when Photoshop was in its infancy by cloning zebras to fill a gap in a fine art print (the horrors!). My favorite Art Wolfe quote is "The difference between an amateur and a professional photographer is that a professional photographer knows when not to shoot." He has many books in print. I was influenced early on by his "The Art of Photography" published in 1993.

[@B2BWide]

It is true but wrong what is in that quote. :D The real difference between professional and "amateur" that professional earns her or his livings by photography. There are way so many "amateurs" who knows more about photography and "when not to shoot" than professionals who are professional photographers by their trade :D (And yes, I am professional. I am paid for photography. But I am very far from some "amateur" friends who really know (or just "feel") how to shoot great images. :D )

[@ChrisHunt4497]

I love your photography Alex. 😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@ThePhotographicEye]

Thank you

[@johnclay7644]

interesting topic (photographic style) informative 14mins.

[@ThePhotographicEye]

Thank you

[@AnthonyJGianotti]

Developing style is such an interesting journey. For me I have found my lane in the confluence of cinematography and photography. I shoot a ton with 2.35:1 in mind and the greatest compliments I receive on my photos is when people tell me a photograph of mine reminds them of frames from a movie. It’s my style, heavily influenced by the likes of Roger Deakins & Hoyte Van Hoytema, along with younger influences such as gxace. Great video as always and like yourself with your style, I can’t wait to see how my own style grows and evolves over time.

[@ThePhotographicEye]

Thanks for watching

[@creative_cozmic]

I don't really consciously think about my style. What perhaps does define me though is I use a single focal length for my photography and edit my photos in a particular way so maybe that contributes significantly to my style. The lens will definitely have a significant impact as focal length does influence the type of photo's I end up shooting. I mainly do street photography with a 'normal' (40mm) focal length and definitely isolating subjects rather than taking a wide shot with lots happening is what I tend to shoot.

[@gregh2322]

Your portraits are wonderful. I'm surprised you would give that up considering the amazing feedback you must have received from your clients.

[@ThePhotographicEye]

Thank you

[@jurgenschurr6737]

I am not a professional but an ambitious amateur photographer, and I never photograph urban scenes or portraits but restricted myself to landscape & close-ups. I don`t know if I should call it a style but I developed my own way to judge my photos and to decide what I consider to be good or not good. What you said in your video is all true, but I have difficulties to translate it to the aspects relevant to landscape photography. I would be glad if you could create a video just on style in landscape photography and on criteria of its artistic quality.

[@ThePhotographicEye]

Thank you for the suggestion!

[@peterlieberzeit3138]

Beautiful thoughts again. To me, the interesting thing regarding my own photos is that I do not claim having a style (nor do probably others ;-) ). However, when scrolling through the feed of images I share on Facebook with friends, the collection seem "consistent" in a way. Have not yet found out, why exactly ...

[@tedbrown7908]

When I view other photographers work, I want to know the technical procedure that was used and in that knowledge, I may find a use for it in my own photography. I watched a video yesterday where a photographer used an 80,000 dollar camera (on loan) but his meticulous post processing ( 4-6 hours for each photo) produced some of the finest ultra sharp photographs I have ever seen. That is well beyond my means but he deserves all the credit and praise he can get.

[@marcpilon4585]

Who is the photographer

[@oneeyedphotographer]

A book for you, "Who Shot That?" by Peter Adams. Peter will introduce you to a lot of photographers. He has a follow-up book to introduce you to "A few of the legends." The second book weighs 4.9 Kg.

[@jmtubbs1639]

It's Becher, the water tower people, but I had to look it up to remind me. I wonder if it is better to be remembered as Becher or as the water tower photographers?

[@KevinRusso]

When I concentrate on and study a photographer that Ilke, nothing happens to how I photograph. I'll notice several months or even a year later when it's out of my mind. I'll make an image and I can see the influence of what I was previously studying.

[@billblair7804]

Alex, I'm conscious your channel is not intended to cover specific techniques but when I saw your portraits around the 8 minute mark I was reminded of the rich colours (and is it painterly look?) of Steve McCurry. How is that effect achieved?

[@ThePhotographicEye]

Those portraits are lit with a single Octabox camera right. The processing is a combination of pulling down the saturation a bit, IIRC dialing down the red channel a touch and really just being concious of the clothing colour palette. Hope that helps

[@RobOK_BTC]

I signed up for FRAMES but your discount code didn’t work. Thanks for this video!

[@ThePhotographicEye]

It’s case sensitive, please try the code again. It is still active ☺️

[@ColeScottPhoto]

To paraphrase Harry Callahan, in answer to a question about his very eclectic approach….if you develop a style, you are dead

[@B2BWide]

Dear Alex, is what you say important for you? For me it seemed to be important and I tried to listen to you very hard. Unfortunately English is not my first language and even I had to listen to your video with sound level set very low to not disturb others. And by the second third of the video I felt that it gets harder and harder to understand the text because of the background music. Maybe I got old and either my hearing or my ability of understanding is slowed down (or both). Would you please take the music down or turn even a bit softer?

[@ThePhotographicEye]

Thanks for the feedback. What is your first language? Subtitles I think might help - especially if English isn't your native tongue. Thank you for watching

[@B2BWide]

@@ThePhotographicEye Hungarian, but not that's the point. Of course I can use subs but I want to see the images, not the letters. Also automatic English subtitles are often wrong that is not a big deal for native speakers but may be misleading. (Fortunately that was not with your video when a typo made me completely misunderstand the subtitles of a video with very strong industrial background noise.) And the point, after all, that would you speak to the selected ones who can easily follow even your occasional muttering with a music backdrop; or you give the honour even those who have slight hearing issues? Previously I marked three of your videos for watching them later and actually I "watched" (ooo-kay, listened to) them during touching up images. I had to turn up the volume A LOT... It was not a big deal. Not until your videos ended, and the playlist changed to a nice moody chill-out mix. After your videos that had the volume of a B747 taking off right at your front door :D :D :D So I pretty please, consider to have better balanced audio.

[@WilsonPhotography1]

I think laziness has formed my style, I got tired of moving the lights and changing the sets all the time. 🤣🤣🤣