One of the biggest photographic challenges is to find your own voice and style. How many times have you seen images that are all alike with only slight variations. Starting out, I feel that I was just making images for the sake of having images, rather than looking at the scene with an objective eye trying to determine a different composition, perhaps altering white balance or tweaking the exposure for mood.
That raises the question, “How do you make an image your own and not just repeat the same thing over and over?”
To answer that question as a photographer, you must first come to the realization that your images are mostly all alike. Recognizing this is the first step in helping to change your mindset. Go back and look through your images from a particular shoot. Which ones stand out? If the answer is none of them, even though they may all be good images, then it is time for a reset or mind shift if you will.
Viewpoint
Once the fact that you need a reset, how do you go about it”? Another valid question. Let me offer up these suggestions to perhaps accelerate the process. A famous photographer, a Canon Explorer of Light, said get you camera into a different viewpoint or position. Obviously, her raises the camera to his eye, but often he uses the swivel out LCD screen to get down low or high, and that is tip number one.
Change Settings
If you are like me, often you have settings dialed in the camera that are tried true. Ones that you go to each time you are out. What if you used a different shutter speed? Maybe you shoot in Manual versus using a pre-programmed setting. Always use a long super-telephoto? How about going with a shorter focal length to really have to think about how you are going to compose the shot. This keep you thinking and you will come away with some creative shots.
Change to most basic thing – Light
This will make or break a photograph for without it, there is no photograph. Take a look at what time of the day you are shooting. I guarantee that one of the best things you can do for your photographs to improve on them and make them less common is shoot during the best light. Go early – Stay late. Other variations would be along the lines of shooting backlit subjects.
Change the story
Ask yourself these questions. How can I change the narrative? What do I need to tell the story I am looking to share? One of my favorite quotes is by a very well know humanitarian photographer.
The impulse to get the safe shot over taking the risky shot is the same impulse that keeps you in your rut. You’ve got enough safe shots. Safe shots don’t teach you, and they don’t satisfy.
He is exactly correct and in order to push yourself and your craft further, there may be times when you you don’t take the safe shot and exhibit patience to get something different that better explains the story.
Develop your own post processing style
This one is probably the one that can make the biggest impact for everyone right away. Not all may have the means to switch different lenses or be in the right place for the right light given a job or other obligations. However, we all, to some degree post process our images before sharing. Spend some time here learning something new from experts on Lightroom, Photoshop, Corel, Affinity or whatever system you use to do something different that will impact your images in a positive way.
These are some suggestion to perhaps help you get out of a rut you may be in with your photography. If the goal is to create photographs that grab the heartstrings, show exhilaration, share the grandeur of the planet or highlight the creatures we share the planet with then trying something different to make the common, uncommon.