What excites you most about photography?
Adam Marelli, a New York born photographer, mentor and fine artist writes in depth article recently in online portal Amworkshops where he puts his views about Three Myths About Finding Your Photography Style, is a worth sharing.
How do you develop your own style? Most of the photography world make it seem like your style is hiding in a closet and someone forgot to give you the key. This leaves photographers searching high and low for their style. If you could only find your style, surely your photography would jump to the next level, right? Unlikely… and here is why.
Why Do We Want a Style?
Style is your signature. It is your unique way of doing something that no one else does. By combining a point of view with your life experience and a special touch, style should express itself naturally. But it does not. Why?
Because most of the internet world is focused on developing style before establishing a foundation. If a photographer does not have a solid grasp on their craft, their style will never emerge.
Ansel Adams : The Tetons and the Snake River
Henri Cartier Bresson : Early
The Guitar Analogy
Over the course of running workshops, teaching one on one private lessons, and building out online photography classes I’ve seen hundreds of photography students struggle with style. If I could sum it up, without intending to offend anyone’s sensibilities, I’ll explain it with an analogy.
Let’s remove the camera from the equation and exchange it for a guitar. The process looks something like this:
- Someone likes music and wants to learn how to play the guitar.
- They research all the different guitars on the market, reading endless reviews hoping that the right guitar will make them into a musician.
- They buy a guitar and never get really comfortable with the instrument.
- They can’t play by ear, they can’t read music, they need to look at their hands as they play, and they practice from time to time.
- And then they feel like they can’t find their own style and don’t know why Jimi Hendrix found his style.
Without a firm grasp on some basics, it is nearly impossible to progress. It does not matter if we are talking about Jimi Hendrix learning to play the guitar, Shakespeare learning to write, or Claude Monet learning to paint, they all developed their unique styles on a solid foundation and thousands of hours of practice. But this happens in photography all the time. Developing style is something that takes time, constant reinvention, and a bit of outside influence. No one develops in a bubble.
“Developing style is something that takes time, constant reinvention, and a bit of outside influence. No one develops in a bubble.”
Stirling Moss racing the Mille Miglia
Image Copyright : Adam Marelli
Image Copyright : Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix : Fender Stratocaster
Three Myths I’ve Heard About Style
You Are Born With It
One year, I listened to a very ‘well known’ photographer who is in their 70s say that they just rolled out of bed and made pictures. They made it sound like they never practiced, never struggled, and never even knew what the word failure meant. This is the biggest load of bullsh*t I’ve ever heard … and unfortunately it is common to hear. There are a number of established professionals who like to pretend like they were just ‘born with it,’ but developing style takes time.
Look at the early work of any photographer … Henri Cartier-Bresson, Ansel Adams, or Eugene Smith. You will notice that almost all of the early work is boring. It is generic, unimaginative, and could easily be mistaken for someone else’s work. That is COMPLETELY normal and where every artists begins their path. No one pops out of the artistic womb a fully formed, stylish artist. It takes years to develop.
Shooting a 35mm Lens
Another very well known photographer said, “My style is shooting with a 35mm lens … any good photographer shoots just one focal length.”
35mm is a focal length; it is not a style. The gear you use only speaks to your ability to shop, not your style.
Imagine you heard a painter say, “Oh I just use round brushes, never filberts. That is my style.” It would be absurd. The tool an artist uses should be invisible. It is the thing they make that matters. And someone with a developed sense of style should be able to express it with any tool.
Lack Of Style Is Holding You Back
It seems like every day I open up Facebook there is a new photo competition which claims that they are looking for photographers with a unique style. But try looking through the winners. The selections are so profoundly repetitive that even someone without an eye for pictures might say “This stuff all looks the same.”
Style is not holding anyone back. Style is the icing on the cake; it is not the cake itself. The first step is learning how to measure ingredients, mix them properly, bake the cake, and prepare it for finishing before you get to the icing. Even a Michelin Star-quality icing job will not save a cake that is under cooked. All the ingredients need to come together, in a specific order, before style can emerge.
Adam Marelli, copyright : Author
The Silver Lining
The nice thing about photography is that the learning curve is not too steep. In my estimation, someone can go from a complete beginner to creating professional grade images in less than a year. Unlike many of the other creative arts like painting, drawing, and sculpting … photography is a quick art. The camera does a lot of the heavy lifting, and you can get through the basics of any type of work in just a few months.
After the basics are in place, you will notice small, unique touches in your pictures. This is where style starts to flourish and your uniqueness begins to emerge. In the mean time, ask yourself, “What excites you most about photography?” The search for that answer will likely reveal your style to you in a most enjoyable way.
Ask yourself, “What excites you most about photography?”
The Original post can also be read HERE.
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Version II: Learn From the Masters of Street Photography
After about a hundred shots of espresso, the newest “Learn From the Masters of Street Photography” PDF Book is live. This version (Version II) is the newest and cleanest version that distills the wisdom of the masters.
Better late than never as they say. The “ber” months have been tough on your admin balancing a busy schedule, the flu, and paying the bills. That said, I want to say that this assignment was a great treat. The entries are very creative and I’m happy with the continous participation of everyone despite my shortcomings.
“I totally took that as a compliment,” laughs Pentagram New York partner Emily Oberman. “Everyone moans about Pentagram because we have been trucking along doing the best work we can over many, many years and either we succeed or we fail, but at least we try.
“It’s funny to read all the things that get said about Pentagram. Some of it’s accurate and some of it’s so off the mark it’s crazy. And whatever people might think, at its core Pentagram is – and always has been – about doing good work. That is basically the business plan. The fact that we have been successful is as much a positive statement about the world of design as it is about the world of Pentagram.”
Photo © Pentagram New York
IT IS NOT LIKE JOINING SOME BIG CORPORATION
Team Oberman can be found on the lower ground floor of the New York office, right next to that of Michael Bierut, the longest-serving US partner. But the partners all sit together, in a line of desks that stretches down the left-hand side of the office’s first floor. From the waiting area, visitors come face-to-face with perhaps the most concentrated stretch of graphic design talent to be found anywhere in the world. It is an unusual arrangement, and while Michael and Emily can call straight down to their teams, other partners have to go upstairs to the upper floor to discuss their projects’ progress.
This building though was never designed to be a studio – it started life as a bank, became a clothing store and later a nightclub called MK, which Michael Bierut recalls as being themed around the idea of an illicit house party of a louche South American playboy who’s magnate father was away. Michael, it must be said, has an extraordinarily detailed knowledge of the New York nightclub scene of the 1980s and 90s.
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
The first time Luke was interviewed as a potential partner he was actually turned down – “I was too nervous or too needy” – but he was accepted second time around, fresh off his huge success redesigning New York magazine “I was funnier and I think that really matters”. Now he describes the interaction between the partners when they all get together as “a little chaotic, a little dysfunctional.”
Student Photos: Film Street Photography Workshop in Dubai
Just finished the coolest workshop here in Dubai– the 2-day Experience the Magic of Film Workshop at Gulf Photo Plus 2016. The students all hit the streets with their cool film cameras , and we had a blast shooting film.
Last time we talked with Dayv, he just finished his first book, High Street Low Street: Seoul and was in the process of making his follow up, High street Low Street: Colombo. He’s finally done with the book and is currently running a kickstarter campaign to be able to self-publish.
“I totally took that as a compliment,” laughs Pentagram New York partner Emily Oberman. “Everyone moans about Pentagram because we have been trucking along doing the best work we can over many, many years and either we succeed or we fail, but at least we try.
“It’s funny to read all the things that get said about Pentagram. Some of it’s accurate and some of it’s so off the mark it’s crazy. And whatever people might think, at its core Pentagram is – and always has been – about doing good work. That is basically the business plan. The fact that we have been successful is as much a positive statement about the world of design as it is about the world of Pentagram.”
Photo © Pentagram New York
IT IS NOT LIKE JOINING SOME BIG CORPORATION
Team Oberman can be found on the lower ground floor of the New York office, right next to that of Michael Bierut, the longest-serving US partner. But the partners all sit together, in a line of desks that stretches down the left-hand side of the office’s first floor. From the waiting area, visitors come face-to-face with perhaps the most concentrated stretch of graphic design talent to be found anywhere in the world. It is an unusual arrangement, and while Michael and Emily can call straight down to their teams, other partners have to go upstairs to the upper floor to discuss their projects’ progress.
This building though was never designed to be a studio – it started life as a bank, became a clothing store and later a nightclub called MK, which Michael Bierut recalls as being themed around the idea of an illicit house party of a louche South American playboy who’s magnate father was away. Michael, it must be said, has an extraordinarily detailed knowledge of the New York nightclub scene of the 1980s and 90s.
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
The first time Luke was interviewed as a potential partner he was actually turned down – “I was too nervous or too needy” – but he was accepted second time around, fresh off his huge success redesigning New York magazine “I was funnier and I think that really matters”. Now he describes the interaction between the partners when they all get together as “a little chaotic, a little dysfunctional.”
What if Smartphones Had The Same Image Quality as DSLR’s?
I think the main reason why people look down on smartphones is because they think its image quality isn’t “good enough” as DSLRS— which you can do fancy stuff like pixel-peep, “bokeh”, and trot around big lenses.
Thirdly, generally the ergonomics of a smartphone device isn’t as good as holding a camera with a grip. I know a lot of street photographers who only use iPhones, and after shooting an entire day on their iPhones, their hands start getting quite cramped. There are also a lot of interesting add-ons to add a grip to your iPhone.
“I totally took that as a compliment,” laughs Pentagram New York partner Emily Oberman. “Everyone moans about Pentagram because we have been trucking along doing the best work we can over many, many years and either we succeed or we fail, but at least we try.
“It’s funny to read all the things that get said about Pentagram. Some of it’s accurate and some of it’s so off the mark it’s crazy. And whatever people might think, at its core Pentagram is – and always has been – about doing good work. That is basically the business plan. The fact that we have been successful is as much a positive statement about the world of design as it is about the world of Pentagram.”
Photo © Pentagram New York
IT IS NOT LIKE JOINING SOME BIG CORPORATION
Team Oberman can be found on the lower ground floor of the New York office, right next to that of Michael Bierut, the longest-serving US partner. But the partners all sit together, in a line of desks that stretches down the left-hand side of the office’s first floor. From the waiting area, visitors come face-to-face with perhaps the most concentrated stretch of graphic design talent to be found anywhere in the world. It is an unusual arrangement, and while Michael and Emily can call straight down to their teams, other partners have to go upstairs to the upper floor to discuss their projects’ progress.
This building though was never designed to be a studio – it started life as a bank, became a clothing store and later a nightclub called MK, which Michael Bierut recalls as being themed around the idea of an illicit house party of a louche South American playboy who’s magnate father was away. Michael, it must be said, has an extraordinarily detailed knowledge of the New York nightclub scene of the 1980s and 90s.
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
The first time Luke was interviewed as a potential partner he was actually turned down – “I was too nervous or too needy” – but he was accepted second time around, fresh off his huge success redesigning New York magazine “I was funnier and I think that really matters”. Now he describes the interaction between the partners when they all get together as “a little chaotic, a little dysfunctional.”