by Cameron Ingalls
This is a follow-up article to one I wrote recently called, ‘Find Your Voice’. I wrote, ‘As a photographer who spends a lot of time sharing my heart and passion with others, I want to give the newbies some worthwhile advice; find your voice. Take the time to discover how you see the world and people and weddings and photograph straight from your heart.’
Now, I realize that there are many ways to go about finding your voice. I admit there are no formulas and there isn’t just one way to becoming a great photographer. That’s why I decided to ask my friends what they thought. Here is the advice I got from just a few of the pros who took the time to generously share their answer to the question, ‘How does a new photographer find his/her voice?’. I also asked them to include a shot or two to back up their words. Here is what they shared!
“Starting a business is one thing, but being creative and staying creative is quite another. I find that not looking at too many wedding photographers work is the best thing for me. Starting out was difficult. As I was doing my research I found those photographer’s work that I loved, but soon was caught up with all that they were doing and forgot about what I love and about creating a look for myself. I stopped looking through their images and starting to focusing on finding the look I loved; that spoke to me. Many things that shaped the style I love include: the way I was brought up, where I was brought up, my personality, the quirkiness in my nature, and the colors I am inspired by. My advise is to look outside of the wedding photography industry and start looking into your passion and inspirations on a day to day basis and incorporate them into your photography; both now and beyond.”
• Jose Villa
“Do who you are.”
• Jeff Newsom
“GET UNCOMFORTABLE! There's no better way to define who you are as a photographer than to be in a constant state of learning. The minute you feel you feel safe--or reached the pinnacle of your career--should be the very moment when you shake things up and try something new. I believe that being the best you can be works in tandem with being in a constant state of uncomfortability!”
• Jasmine Star
“Trust your minds eye. If you see something just go with it. You don't need to make perfect images but you should try to make images that are different and new.”
• Maurice Wright
“Don't be afraid to try everything possible to make your business succeed. It's often not one or two things that allow you to make it, but many.”
• Michael Costa
“Be confident and stay tough. Don't take anything too personal. Strive for great quality work and treat your clients really well. Keep your head down and focus on what you need to do, don't be fooled by what other people are doing or what is popular when it comes into style; find your own style. Stay connected with photographers and with the world around you. #1 Don't get burnt out! Try to always remember why you fell in love with photography in the first place. If you love what you do, people will see it and want to hire you for your passion. If you get burnt out, people will notice that too.”
• Michelle Warren
"I've been helping some beginners find their vision. And once that vision is found the next step is defining that vision photographically. I'm not sure which is harder. For now lets focus on the vision. I personally look to my heart/emotions to find the vision, since all responses to visual art are emotional it seems the right place to start. For new photographers this may be a good place to start growing. What makes you happy, sad, or gives you a sense of compassion? If you say nothing then perhaps camera repair is your niche. ;) Most often it's the emotional or unemotional side of our personalities that define us, and so it is with our art as well. Some news photographers tend to keep emotions out and so they’re work tends to portray that unemotional vision. As wedding photographers I feel that we should incorporate all of the emotions of the event. As the viewer of the images I don't just want to see a documentary of the event; I want to feel, smell, and taste it through the direct connection of my visual system to my emotions."
• David B. Hoffman
“Be yourself! I truly believe and have found that when you do this, you end up working with clients who are like minded to you. Doing so makes the whole wedding photography experience more comfortable and in turn, results in better photos for the couple!”
• Allyson Magda
“Stop posting your portrait work on the web. We live in a society where photography has become a disposable medium. People will show all of their friends, get their “use” out of it and then move on. Spend the money to make a great meeting space in your home or office and start projecting. We went from a few hundred dollars in sales a session to several thousand a session instantly. If you project, your clients walk away with nothing unless they pay for it. When starting out, many people are nervous about charging the proper amount for their services. Next time that happens, remember what your computer costs, your software, your school loans and most importantly your time. When a client wants to pay $4 for a 4x6 remember all the work that had to go into it. If you are not charging a minimum of a 3.3 markup then you are losing money.
Stop focusing on what others are doing and start focusing on what YOU are doing. Today’s wedding and portrait industry is overrun with the latest actions, gadgets and “celebrity” photographer’s training DVD’s. Start to learn to get things right in camera. So many people think that there is a magic action or business technique that is going to take them to the top. Invest in your education, your website and your camera equipment. Go out and shoot, shoot, shoot! Learn to work in all kinds of light, not just ‘the pretty light.’ You will rely less on Photoshop to fix it and more on your skill. Only then will you be able to get to a more creative place and start to produce original work.”
• Ryan Phillips
I trust that everyone is well encouraged! Please drop some comments to share your feedback with these awesome photographers!
Cameron Ingalls, Inc. California Real Life Wedding Photographer
