When you think of your favourite (and successful) photographers I would like to bet that almost all (if not all of them) have their own “field of photography” for which they are known. It might be landscapes, portraits, street photography etc. Also when you see these photographers images you immediately know that they are their photographs – they have a style.
So, successful and probably famous photographers have both a genre that they specialize in and also a style. A photographers style does not just happen (normally) it can take time, sometimes years to develop.
I look at my photographs and I see that my images do not come from any one genre – they are quite eclectic – as can be seen from this week’s post. I take anything that catches my eye, anything that sparks my vision for a monochrome image. This then is where a style will come into the equation. I have a particular way I process my RAW colour files that has taken a few years of experimenting and change to get to the point where I am happy with the result. If I get a new camera then I have to experiment with my processing until I get to the point that I feel that they now look like previous images that have been processed with my style.
Arriving at your own style can take time although some people are lucky (and skilled) to find one very quickly. It is this that will define your photographs as your own and that will probably be more visible than a signature on the bottom of a print.
AGES
Fujifilm X-T1, Fujinon XF18-135mm F/3.5-5.6R LM OIS WR
This first image was taken on Lindisfarne and features the castle walls with clouds passing over. I worked a little on the clouds, although they were quite defined and quite dark in their natural state. From behind the castle the sun was finally pushing through.
LIFE ON MARS
Fujifilm X-T1, Fujinon XF18-135mm F/3.5-5.6R LM OIS WR
The stones on the beach at Lindisfarne have been placed on top of each other by visitors to the Holy Island. I lay flat on the stones and took what I thought was an interesting collection of the arrangements. A small aperture was necessary to get as much of the beach and stone sculptures in focus as possible.
COMPLEX
Fujifilm X-T1, Fujinon XF18-135mm F/3.5-5.6R LM OIS WR
This picture of the flower again shows the versatility of the Fujinon XF18-135mm lens. It was handheld and I used F/5.0 at 1/200 with a 55mm focal length set on the zoom. This was enough to blur the leaves in the background.
A NOBLE DOOR
Fujifilm X-T1, Fujinon XF18-135mm F/3.5-5.6R LM OIS WR
I liked the way that the shadows of the leaves interplayed with the construction of the door in this picture. It is always my intention to retain some image information in the shadows of an image whenever the photograph subject calls for it and this door and doorway with the stone texture and the fantastic tree around it needed to have all its detail visible, albeit as part of the overall tonality of the photograph.
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