-shoot in your style. yes. absolutely. no point in all photographers to have the same style. however, in regard to trends, i see lots of my students shooting in someone else's style because (in their words not mine) they thought that's what the clients want. there are definitely photography trends out there -not just wardrobe, makeup and hair -and this is what i would avoid because it may not be you. shoot in your style, not to be a clone for another client. how great would it be for a client to have more than one option when it came to style? i see so many portrait photographers doing the same shots, using the same props, using the same actions -how can they stand out?
-show personality. definitely! if your client doesn't wear neutral colors, why should they? they should wear what's comfortable to them -and who doesn't love to go back to family pictures and see how style is evolving. but short trends are for family pictures. not for your book... or for commercial work... see the difference?
you cannot tell me that just because someone is holding a balloon automatically makes that person "fun."
-take a step back. one important -and difficult- thing to do when planning a shoot or actually shooting is to take a step back and answer these questions: do the location, props, wardrobe make sense? do they need to? do they look natural? have i done this shot 10000x before?
why repeat your shots over and over? eventually, you will get bored. ... and so will your book or website.
in conclusion, my initial post was not to make fun of certain photography trends, but to bring awareness of how trends can influence and sometimes take over style. in the end, the post was to answer the questions that had been asked of me. and they are my opinions and the reasons i shoot the way I do. no reason to take offense to that because (hopefully) we ALL have different styles and opinions.
and to end on a happier note, here are some examples of awesome photography of kiddos that could easily stay in theses photographers' books for the next 20 yrs.
ericka mcconnell
william abranowicz
frank heckers
kate powers
ulla nyman
james baigrie
okay, I loved this and the other post. Thank you for posting it.
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing your opinions on these matters. they certainly helped me. i have a hard time with photoshop, for example, it's just not my style to edit my photos, though i feel because most photographers do, i also HAVE to do it, if i want to be more professional about my photography. it makes me feel very pressured. i enjoy taking photos, but i'd rather have them look good straight out of the camera than having to spend a lot of time editing them to make them look good. i guess my style is very minimal editing. and i am happy with it.
ReplyDeletep.s.: still am hoping to one day take your class. hopefully soon. you are a great photographer!
p.s.: i love that last photo! it's precious!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your thoughts, Nicole. As a (very) budding photographer, I really appreciate the advice. I find myself falling more and more towards trends, which makes it hard to discover MY style. But I'm sure that'll come with time. Anyway, I love your photography & your blog!
ReplyDeleteI agree. And I think what all those photos have in common is that you are drawn to the faces and expressions, instead of the eye going to clothes, props or backdrops. That is a talent of composition I think. But the question is how is that learned?
ReplyDeleteI thought your first post was spot on and very refreshing. I'm glad you wrote it. And people are silly.
ReplyDeleteOhh, I love these. Especially the last one.
ReplyDeleteAs a former student of yours, your class discussion of this topic stung. But, other than shooting manually, I would say it's the most valuable thing I learned from your class. I've thought about it a lot in the past several months since taking your class and launching my photography business. The question now is...how does one define his/her own style? Every artist is inspired to some degree by other artists they admire. How do you create your own style instead of copying others?
ReplyDeleteas long as i don't compare myself to others and go with my natural tendencies creatively, i'm fine. but sometimes, i question myself when i see some of the photos that seem to get a lot of attention. it seems like i'm seeing pale and dreamy images everywhere. as a newbie, it's the biggest challenge. i enjoyed these posts and all the comments. thanks!
ReplyDeletei've loved reading these discussions.
ReplyDeletei'll admit, at first i was bothered. probably because i fit the mold for many-a trend. but the more i've thought about it, i really love and agree with what you said. i am still taking class after class (in college, but i am drooling to take yours) and learning the basics. i hope to someday be in a place where i can manipulate light, and know my camera well enough to take such rockin' raw images.
i think there is a raw talent in photography, and a creative eye. but anyone who thinks they have that needs to get out and learn about your camera! there is so much we can do... and so much i need to do.
wow, sorry. there is my 2 cents.
thanks for your thoughts.
Hey Jen!
ReplyDeleteHow are you?
So style comes with time and a certain amount of practicing. It will come when you are shooting what YOU want to shoot because YOU like it -be careful of influences that come because you think it's what someone else wants.
It took me 6 yrs before I could see my style come through...
But then again, I'm a slow learner. :)
N
I'm behind on my blog reading! I'm glad you wrote this follow up and explained some things in depth. I've re-read the original and I think I can see why people reacted the way they did. The way the post was written left a lot of room for misinterpretation. Thank you for sharing more in depth, your intentions make more sense now :)
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Cindy that as a photographer that really likes color and strong tone ranges it's sometimes disheartening for me to see all the pale images that are popular right now. Many of these images are wonderful, it can just be really frustrating to see my work get passed over for images with a lot of white and on the brink of overexposure.
Thank you for blogging, I always look forward to your posts!
A nice group of images I am proud to be included in but I am curious about one thing. At the top of your blog you note, "please do not use my images without my written permission."
ReplyDeleteAgain, it's nice to be part of this group but why didn't you have to ask me to use my image? No worry but perhaps you might rethink the consideration. William Abranowicz
hi william!
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear from you! Because these images are used in an editorial way, and posts happen so frequently, I always link to the photographers but don't have enough time to track them all down. (most never email back anyway) If you'd like me to remove your image, I'd be happy to. I have the notice on my blog as a courtesy, but have no problem with my images being posted as long as they are credited correctly -it's a great way to receive exposure. Anyway, let me know if you'd like me to take it down.
Thanks! Merry Christmas,
Nicole
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ReplyDelete