The topic of discussion today is a very personal one. Something which I have faced myself and I am very sure every budding photographer comes across this situation some time in their careers and mostly early on.
Photography is a very extensive field. There are no limits to what one can achieve. For me when I began photography, I found myself doing good in to many kinds of photography at once. I was clicking good landscapes, portraits, functions, abstract, stills. But that’s when the dilemma begins.
No photographer I know doesn’t have a specific kind of photography they want to excel at. Be it Landscape or portraits or events and functions. This is fair enough as to be among the best at what you do, one has to put in extra efforts and focus and learn the art in its fullest and not be wandering all over the place doing different things at a time (Strictly my opinion).
When you decide to a brand, reputation for yourself in photography, there always comes a time when you have to choose as to what you want the world to know you for? Is it as a Landscape photographer, or a street photographer, or is it portraits? Believe me no one wants to be a jack of all trades and master on none.
This question is something which I had to put a lot of thought in to and finally I decided for myself to practice and perfect landscapes and travel photography. This doesn’t mean I do not enjoy an occasional portrait or street photography session. But I focus all my energy in to being a better version of myself at Landscape photography every day.
The idea behind choosing what kind of photography suits you is to be able to focus yourself and develop a specialized skill set which can differentiate you from the rest. This also brings clarity of thought and vision and can help bring out the best in you. All being said, everyone has their own path of self-discovery which is how things should be. There is not exact and precise way of finding what suits you best.
The only advice I can give on this is, understanding what excites you, invokes your thought process and makes you happy. Along with this, there are a few things which can help you be clearer in vision and support your self-discovery phase of photography which have worked for me.
Tip #1 – Being Original
Most important of all the tips is being original. I understand it is difficult to be unique and original with your photographs every time as there are so many of us doing the same thing and visiting the same spots every day. I also appreciate being inspired someone else’s photographs, but I do not recommend or I strongly condemn copying else’s work to the letter. Getting inspired and putting in your own understanding and touch to the work to improve from what inspired you can make you learn and improve. But copying serves no purpose. Make your pictures and angles your own and stay away from copying as such photographers might click good pictures but lose the respect of the community.
Tip #2 – Only Time can decide
OK, so this one is what I really recommend doing for the young and budding crop of photographers. You might be good at clicking a few types of pictures e.g. Portraits, landscapes, or streets. Allocate specific time say a week for each and just do that particular type of photography across the whole week and switching mode on the next week. I am very sure after this exercise you will clearly know what you like to do in your heart. Restriction always makes you improve and adapt and understand yourself better.
Tip #3 – Learn the techniques
This compliments tip 2. When you start working on a style of photography for a whole week, try to invest time in learning the techniques and not just be random about it. Learning the techniques or understanding what it takes to be good at a certain style will make you realize if the style excites you or not.
Tip #4 – Don’t fall in line with a group
This does not, at any level, mean being anti-social. With this I mean you should not be following a group just because all your friends like a particular style of photography. Your friend’s style of photography might not suit you and might also cost you your interest in photography as a whole. Also this is about finding yourself and not being like someone you follow. Be yourself and learn what you would like to learn.
I hope you all can relate and agree to my tips. If you don’t please let me know in comments.
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Adios!!!
The Tech Blogger 