Finding Your Voice as a Photographer
This is one of the many things the novice struggles with; finding his image or voice.
Have you ever listened to music by your favourite artists? Don’t they all sound different? Yet you like them. You like them because of their differences and this is what makes them stand out.
Finding your voice as a photographer is making a photo with your stamp/signature (not watermark). Your photo should be identified without a watermark when it’s eyed by your audience: this is what you want to aim for.
You need to shoot often to find your voice. Try different things. Shoot in a fresh setting: costume, time, location, all of these add up to make you unique. Your uniqueness is your voice.
As you shoot, copy other artists. You cannot be original all the time. You’ll be burned out and burdened. There’s nothing new under the sun. Drop your arrogance and steal (copy) like an artist. William Ralph defined originality as “plagiarism undetected.” That is just it.
Austin Kleon wrote in his book Steal Like An Artist: Don't just steal the style, steal the thinking behind the style. You don’t want to look like your heroes; you want to think like your heroes.
To find your voice as a photographer is essential, and it is not without copying. Copy your way to the top and come up with your style. Always leave a piece of you inside your work. This is why I love Sanzio. There was always a piece of him inside of his work.
Now, folks, get shooting. If you’re just starting out, keep making photos and learn to leave a piece of you inside every creation. This is how you find your voice and stand out.
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