Yesterday I came across a blog post that had been reposted to Facebook via a photographer I follow. The name of the article caught my eye and I feel like it’s something I’m trying to still work out for myself; so I thought I’d see what this author had to say.
The article is entitled “Defining Your Style” and is written by Spanki Mills Photography. I felt the article was well written and I loved the pictures she used to further explain her point. Seriously, even if you’re not a full-fledged photographer, you should check this article out. The images she used were the exact same picture, however, she showcased her editing style with that of a friend. Each image is beautiful, but her point was each editing style reflected the editor.
One of the biggest accomplishments Spanki mentions is someone told her “You can line up 100 images and I can know which ones you took“. Wow. As soon as I read that statement, I thought to myself, there’s no way a client of mine or even myself for that matter could say that.
Her next paragraph went on to say “one of the biggest mistakes you can make as a new photographer is do 973 different edits. How will anyone define your work if it is ever changing?” I can totally relate to that one! While I feel like I’m getting a more consistent look to my editing, I still don’t feel as though I have a definable style quite yet.
I know I still need to master my camera and get it right first there, however, I do feel like my editing could use some help. My goal for my images is to produce a picture that will stand the test of time. I don’t want to create something that was so trendy in 2011, only to be laughed at in 2012 when another trend comes down the road. I want my images to have that consistent look and feel.
However, I don’t want to produce solely tradition photos that bore everyone to death. I understand trends come and go with editing and I do want to incorporate some; the ones that reflect my personality.
Spanki ends her article with this thought, “I like bold. I like textures and colors in an entirely different way. But it is me. This shows you how important that vision for the complete product is. I know when shooting how things will edit out. I know to over expose just a tad for my post processing style. I know what to suggest my clients to wear, and what time of day to shoot. This is what separates each of us and defines us. …figure out what your soul says about you… make your work tell that story. From start to finish… have it speak for you.”
One of my goals for 2012 is to really try and define my post processing style. I’ve made it a point of action to learn my editing software better and to really try and focus on telling my story through my editing.
With that being said, I would love it, if you’ve had a session with me (or if you haven’t, but you’ve seen my work) if you could fill out a quick 5-minute anonymous survey for me. This is to try and help me really narrow down what my clients see in my work and to give me an idea of how to move forward from there. I promise, the survey is short and to the point. You can find it here.
I appreciate you stopping by and hope you have a wonderful New Year!
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