How to find your unique photography style

One of the most common questions asked by photographers is how do I find my photography style? You’ve searched Pinterest, Instagram and you don’t know where you start.

Table to Contents

• How to find your photography style

• What are the styles of photography

• How to choose a photography style

How to find your photography style?

It sounds like such a huge task. 

Deciding on a photography style.  

Sticking to a photography style, a look that you are confident enough in that you show it again and again and again.  Many of us feel that we’ve found our “look”, while many of us are still trying to find the groove.  

So, how is it done?  Well, here are a few of my thoughts on how you can decide on your own photography style.  You own YOU.  Be advised, I’m about to hit you with some tough love.

What are the different photography styles?

Before we get started, let’s go over some of the different photography styles.

Candid photography

Candid photography is when you step back and let your subject continue with what they are doing. You are a fly on the wall anticipating emotions.

Read more: Candid Child Photography: How to capture genuine childhood memories

Astrophotography

The art of astrophotography is what you get after the sun goes down. You don’t have to put your camera on the shelf when the natural light is gone. Embrace the light trails, the stars, and the moon and capture them in astrophotography.

Photo Credit: Dana Elyse Photography

Read more: Astrophotography Part 2: Star Trails

Black and white photography

This style is all about the subject of the photo using only black, white, and gray colors. This can be done digitally or through a film camera. Here is a whole blog post on Black and White Photography Tips.

Family photography

Your typical cherished framed photos you find in most every home. The family photographer captures the family either naturally or posed.

Photo credit: Studio Sea Photography

Read more: 5 Tips for Capturing Real Connection in Family Photography

Food photography

This is any photography of food or drink. It’s used by food bloggers, chefs, and restaurants all over to showcase their delicious creations.

Photo Credit: Trisha Hughes

See more mouth watering photos and tips for food photography here.

Landscape photography

Basically anything outdoors can be classified as landscape photography.

You know those cascading waterfalls, or turquoise waters with an amazing reflection? What about those adorable lambs prancing through a green field? Yepp that’s it!

Photo Credit: Kristen Ryan Photography

Read more here: 10 Essential Landscape Photography Tips

Lifestyle photography

Baking cookies with grandma? Playing a soccer game? Lifestyle photography captures just that. Life and its everyday moments.

Capturing images of my family and every day life is a favorite of mine. To do this I use either my 35mm or 50mm lens. I think they are perfect for it and many other styles too.

Minimalist photography

Minimal distractions and mostly single focused is what the art of minimalist photography is all about. You usually use a lot of negative space and lines.

Newborn photography

This style is photographs of those precious bundles of joy. The sweetest little images usually taken within the first month of a newborn baby’s life.

Read more: Newborn Photography

Pet photography

Pet photography is a style that captures pets and their unique personalities. Those four legged fur children are important too!

Still life photography

Have you ever seen those beautiful dramatic photographs of a large fruit bowl? That’s still life photography. Images of inanimate objects.

Read more: How to Shoot Still Life Photography to Boost your Photography Skills

Street photography

This photography style uses people, objects, or animals and of course a street. A great example is the iconic image of the kissing sailor at the end of WWII.

Life, people, love, and streets all make very unique images.

Read more: Top 9 Tips for Remarkable Street Photography

Photo Credit: Laurie Flickinger

Travel photography

Last but not least, the one that gives us all the wanderlust.

Travel photography is a style that encapsulates all things travel. Sometimes that’s a photo on a train. Sometimes it’s an image of a quaint English village. No matter where it is, travel photography takes a viewer and places them in another destination even for just a moment.

Want to take a mental vacation? See some examples and read more here: Do’s and Don’ts of Travel Photography

How to choose a photography style?

Below are five tips to help you stop looking at other photographers and to look inward to find your photography style.

Stop looking at everyone else

Period. 

You know that blog that you follow?  The one where you always gush over the images and say, “Dude.  I wish I could shoot like THAT.” Or maybe you say, “Ugh.  I wish that were MY STYLE.” Yes, that blog.  Unsubscribe from it. 

Go ahead…I’ll wait. 

And now you’re wondering “but, but, but, where am I going to get my inspiration from now?!” 

Look around your house.  Your town.  Your family.  THERE is your inspiration.  You just haven’t seen it yet because you’re stalking someone else’s work.  You browse that “other blog” and you love it, but it makes you feel crummy about your own work. 

Am I right?  Well, unsubscribe and be inspired somewhere else.

Read more: 8 key benefits to knowing your photography style

Don’t copy someone’s photography style

You know that saying?  Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery?  Well, it’s also the most annoying.  And I don’t necessarily mean it’s annoying to the person being copied (although it is).  I mean, for you as well. 

It’s annoying for YOU.  Why?  Because you can never, ever, no not ever get that image to look like the one that you are copying.  And why would you want to? It’s the idea and brain and heart of someone else. 

Instead, take an IDEA and run with it.  Find what you like about that photography style and make it PART of your photography style. 

Maybe it’s the haziness of someone’s work that you love.

Maybe it’s the lens flare. 

It’s very likely that you can pull ONE element out. You just need to pinpoint what you love about it.  Just recently, I noticed an image from one of my sweet buddies.  She had such gorgeous light and shadows right there in her living room. 

That, in turn, made me think of my own living room and the shadows that fall on the floor in the morning.  I took THAT part of her image and I went with it.  I made it my own.  Her image was inspiring to me.  Which is completely different from me copying her work.

Dive deeper into learning about photography style: How to use your photography style to stand out

Shoot daily will help you find your photography style

Shoot an image every.single.day.  Did you hear that?  EVERYDAY you are to shoot.  I promise you that if you shoot daily your photography style will emerge. 

In January of 2011, I started a Project 365.  Starting out I was shooting this and that and the other.  Just pointing my lens at anything and everything.  Trying out different ideas with my girls and various processing styles for different images. 

Finally, about 7 months in I saw it.  It was like rainbows and butterflies and angels singing from the clouds!  It took me nearly a year more to have the courage to shoot that way all the time and embrace my photography style, but boy was that a glorious feeling. 

Just try shooting daily and after a while you will see what you love as a constant in about 75% of your shots.  You’ll know you’ve made it.  The next step is having the courage to run with it.

Don’t excuse poor technique for style

First and foremost, learn the rules of photography.  Courtney has tutorial after tutorial here on Click it Up a Notch®. You NEED to know the proper technique and rules if you’re going to break them. 

You have to know how to get proper white balance.  How to compose an image.  How to make intentional chops. 

So many times I’ve heard photographers say, “I know this image is blah-blah-blah and I did blah-blah-blah to their feet, but that’s my style.” I’m sorry, y’all, but orange skin tone is NOT a style. 

It’s horrid white balance and improper exposure.   Repeatedly odd finger and limb chops isn’t a style.  I can’t stress to you enough that you MUST know the rules in order to break them accordingly. 

Please don’t be lazy and call it “photography style”. It’s poor technique and a poor excuse and you CAN do better than that.  (See?  I told you this would be some tough love.)

Think about what you want your photography style to be other than what other’s want

Quick question about the shoes you are wearing right now. 

Are you wearing those because your friend wanted you to wear them?  Are you driving that SUV because your father-in-law likes it? No! It’s because you like it. 

You want to shoot all black and white film?  Do it! 

You just want to shoot still life?  Do that! 

Who cares what someone else wants you to shoot? 

You aren’t wearing the clothes someone else picked out for you so why shoot what someone else wants you to shoot?!  It seems like common sense, but so many people struggle with doing what they want.  Peer pressure is for high school, y’all.  Now get out there and do what YOU want.

Read more: 5 common photography style mistakes

Go out there and find your own unique photography style!

Finding and deciding on a photography style isn’t an easy task.  Especially these days, when we are simply saturated with photographers, blogs and Facebook feeds.  I encourage you to step back from everyone else. 

Be YOURSELF. 

Shoot daily.  

Know the rules and THEN break them intentionally. 

And don’t ever, no not ever, copy someone else just because you want to be like them. 

Shoot what you love the way you want to shoot it and people will flood YOUR blog, YOUR Facebook and YOUR email. 

Read more:
How finding my photography style made me a happier photographer
Ultimate Lens Comparison for Finding your Perfect Lens

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