8 Steps to Finding Your Photography Style
Recently I’ve been getting messages about my photography & editing style, so I thought this could be best addressed in a blog post. My hope is that by explaining my process, it’ll help guide your journey of building your own unique style. I’ve boiled it down to 8 steps and areas to focus on.
What is a photography style? To me, having a recognizable photography style means that when viewers (more so viewers in your niche) see your work without your name, they still identify it as yours. I say “in your niche” because the average viewer isn’t going to be exposed to your work frequently enough to start recognizing it. Your work might be recognizable for a few reasons - the composition techniques you use, the subjects you shoot, the cameras you use, the colors & way you edit, and much more. Once you bring those images to social media, you might augment your style further by the kinds of posts you create or the storytelling methods you use - photo carousels with text covers, behind-the-scenes street photography reels, etc. Within those posts, even using a consistent set of fonts helps further definite you style.
Some photographers don’t want to be confined to a prescriptive “style” and I get it. I too believe you should just shoot what you love with the gear you enjoy using. There’s plenty of people who couldn't care less about editing or consistency either - it might just not be a reason they’re drawn to photography. However, I’ve enjoyed intentionally developing my style over the years and continually refining my work. If my images get to the point where they’re recognizable as mine because of my unique style, I’d be thrilled. And many brands & businesses hire specific creatives based on their style. So, this is something I try to keep working hard at!
Developing a style definitely takes time, but when done intentionally it’s less daunting than it seems. Once you’ve started that development process, it makes editing, curating, and getting your work out there faster, easier, and more satisfying. Most importantly, you get to a point where you learn to create images you love. It took me a few years, but I do feel like I’m at that point where I genuinely love my work.
(1) Find the Subjects You’re Passionate About
I firmly believe your best work comes from deep, genuine interest. Whether it’s travel, fashion, food, cafes, street, or something else: explore different subjects until something clicks for you. This isn’t advice to “niche down” or limit yourself, especially not at the start, but that passion does show up in your photos. So shoot what you’re truly passionate about. And if that’s multiple things, more power to you.
For me, traveling and capturing Japan is my current focus. I’d felt so creatively energized there after my first few trips that I decided to dedicate myself to photographing Japan’s landscapes and cities. I still travel to plenty of other places in North America, Europe, and around Asia, and genuinely enjoy capturing those places too. While I don’t really share non-Japan photos on social media today, I’ll continue to shoot projects in other countries and with other subjects like brands/gear, portraits, hotels, and food & beverage. And who knows, maybe I’ll start expanding what I share as I continue to grow as a photographer.
(2) Study Photographers You Like, Borrow What Inspires You
Follow the photographers whose work resonates with you and inspires you. Beyond just scrolling through their posts, actually try and break them down, whether annotating a screenshot on an iPad or taking notes by hand. For example, what composition techniques do they use to achieve the images you like? Can you tell roughly what focal lengths they use? Is it the way they shape light, or the kinds of shooting conditions they look for? To get insight into their color & editing: buy their presets and study them. Reverse-engineer their edits, watch their YouTube tutorials, or consume anything they put out (blogs, newsletters, etc.). Many successful photographers provide these free resources, plus some list the gear and tools they use on their websites. Again, don’t copy, but learn what makes their work impactful and break down why you like it so much. Take the elements that you like and implement them in your own work.
I did many of these things when I started to get serious about editing and my photography, and I’m still constantly looking for new sources of inspiration. Over the years, I’ve also made my own mood-boards or inspiration-boards based on images I’ve liked and saved from others. Focused, positive consumption and study of work you like can be a worthwhile investment - just beware of getting caught up in doomscrolling or too much comparison - the former serves only a thief of time, and the latter a thief of joy.
(3) Hone Your Editing Skills and Be Intentional
Editing is where your style can really begin to take shape - and further differentiate your work, even if the locations and compositions you’re shooting are similar to other photographers. Being intentional with your edits is key, as just pushing around sliders without understanding what each does will bring inconsistent and likely undesirable results. Learning how to use light & color to communicate mood and emotion is a good first step, whether that be bright & airy or dark & moody. As you develop and discover the hues, tones, and tints you like, start building your own presets so you can quickly “color” your RAW images consistently. If using Lightroom, masking is the single most powerful editing tool available. While it might seem advanced, a few YouTube tutorials can teach you how to immediately make powerful tweaks to your edits. Practice makes perfect - make a habit of trying to edit at least a few photos a day.
I think this third point really ties into the second - you need the right skills to implement what you like from other photographers and to blend it with your own unique eye. I’m 100% self taught from YouTube and other free online resources (plus plenty of experimentation), and there’s dozens of creators out there making quality tutorials. Who you follow and listen to will also influence the kinds of skills you’ll build, so either try a few different channels or really dial in on your favorite photographer. And while reading and studying is great, taking new photos and trying new techniques is the fastest way to grow - so study, experiment, shoot, edit, reflect, iterate, grow (and repeat).
(4) Fight Off GAS, Focus on Creating, Invest in Travel
Gear acquisition syndrome (GAS) is so real - even more so in this social media era. New cameras and lenses are constantly being released and discussed online. But buying new lenses or bodies won’t necessarily benefit the development of your style, nor will completely switching systems. Getting outside and shooting consistently is still the most practical and effective way to improve your skills. High resolution cameras and top shelf glass might improve image quality, but they won’t improve your composition and editing skills. Push your current gear to its limits before considering an upgrade. And if you do have some spare cash - think carefully about which is going to help you grow as a photographer: buying another piece of gear or investing in a photography trip that will bring you new creative opportunities?
I find that familiarity breeds creativity and consistency too. I’ve been shooting on mostly the Fujifilm system for the last three years, and because I know all of the buttons, settings, and capabilities of each of my cameras intimately, I can quickly make decisions out in the field on how to best compose and expose an image. In the end, these tools should just be an extension of your creative vision, and most modern mirrorless cameras have high enough specs to capture great images.
(5) Set Creative Limitations
Putting creative constraints on yourself can actually unlock new ideas. If you’re in a creative rut or feel decision fatigue from different camera bodies and lenses, try just shooting with one focal length on one camera for a set period of time. This will force you to physically move around to recompose and rethink your shots. Another thing you can do is focus on just one type of subject, or even build a photo series around a single theme or color. These boundaries can teach you a lot about the kinds of images you like to take while making the decision making process easier for each shot.
When I don’t have compositions or places specifically researched, I like to employ the one camera, one lens approach. It’s almost an ice breaker or warm up - it forces me to immerse myself in the scene and look for a variety of different compositions, while exploring further because I can’t just zoom to compose. Once I’ve fully canvassed the scene and found potential shots that need different gear to execute, I’ll go back and take those.
(6) Shoot a Variety of Angles and Compositions - Then Curate
The biggest mistake I made when I started travel photography was just focusing on the “hero” shot at a location. I’d done the research, planned out when to go for the best conditions, and got tunnel vision on executing “the shot” that I only ended up taking a few images of the main composition. Each time, when I dumped my images into Lightroom, I just wished I had slowed down, taken a deep breath, and looked for other compositions. Even today when I get particularly excited about an image I’ve captured out in the field, I have to remind myself to keep looking and challenging myself to find something different.
Now, I approach scenes more like a filmmaker. I have a brief checklist running in my head: capture a wide shot for context, medium for a clean & focused composition, and a tight for detail that otherwise can’t be seen clearly in the other two shots. I look for textures, patterns, and shadows. Then, in post, I try and carefully curate these images into sets that tell the whole story of the scene. I’ve found that this process helps tell better visual stories and also allows you to explore different compositions and angles. Additionally, this diverse approach and how you execute on it can become elements of your unique style.
(7) Get Feedback
Photography, like other art forms, is largely subjective. But if your photography goals include professional ambitions or growth online, you need to find people who like your work and consider it “good” in their eyes. In today’s world, one of the quickest ways to solicit feedback on your photography is online via social media: Instagram, Threads, Facebook groups, etc. You certainly shouldn’t follow every opinion, but fresh perspectives can help you refine and grow. Putting your work up online also means inviting less than constructive critiques, so I’d say be ready for that, because the haters and trolls will come too.
Alternatively, or concurrently, find photographers who may be willing to mentor you and give you structured, actionable constructive criticism. This is doubly helpful if those photographers are ones you truly admire and are in your niche.
(8) Trust the Process & Iterate
Developing your style doesn’t happen overnight - it builds through experience, reflection, iteration, and evolution. Take time to look back on your past work. What do you see recurring in your compositions, colors, or themes? Reviewing your progress helps you understand how far you’ve come and where you want to go next.
I try to set aside time weekly to look over some of my past images and edits. Sometimes I’ll even re-edit images from 3, 5, 7, 10 years ago. What would I do differently if I had the chance to shoot the same scene again? Did I make the best technical decisions in terms of exposure settings? Did I rush through the location and only capture a limited number or type of composition? Just building an awareness of these things helps prepare you for your next shoot.
Wrapping Up
That’s all for this blog post - I hope these 8 steps were helpful in starting to think about building your style. It takes time, but I guarantee if you approach it intentionally with a mindset and work ethic to create it, you’ll be proud of where you land. There were, and still are, plenty of moments where I doubt where & what my style really is - but that’s also part of the fun. You can always evolve and change depending on your interests and skills!
As always, thanks for reading, and see you in the next one.
