Exactly!! He says things the same way as I see or perceive it, I just didn't know how to explain that well haha. His vision and messages are so worthy !!
I've studied photography in art school for 2 years, then dropped off 'cause of lack of time. I never heard there such great advice as here with that 9 minutes. Thank you.
Hands down the most interesting and engaging photography channel on RUclips, thank you! I don’t consider that I have a style as such. But I used to have an Instagram account with several thousand followers (I deleted it after a while) and one chap commented that he loved to look at my photos “and listen to the silence”. They were photographs of many different types but that one comment caused me to re-evaluate everything I had shared and indeed I began to see a common theme which I had never detected before. I still wouldn’t call it a “style”, but that comment is still the most insightful and flattering thing anyone has ever said about my photos.
Is'nt it odd when people say what your work means to them. It opens our eyes to the true impact of our photography. Thanks for being here and taking the time to watch these shows.
@@ThePhotographicEye I wouldn’t miss a single video. Yours is the only channel I look forward to each and every week. Thank you so much for all the work you put into this channel. It’s truly inspirational!
You will probably get a ton of comments on this one, especially from long time photographers. I spent a few years last century with a film SLR feeling lost, for the most part. I picked up a book by John Shaw and buckled down to fully understand the technical aspects of the camera. And then about 25 years ago, it occurred to me that I was finally becoming confident with handling the thing. It was around that point that the curtains opened, the clouds parted, and choir began to sing. Well, sort of anyway. Effort over time will quietly work its magic.
yeah like many tools, when trying to plot a course on a marine chart, or build a shelf out of wood, or build a website, at first the focus is on the strange tools and techniques, but when they fade into the subconscious the design starts to shine through
As you touched on in the video, I think a lot of people think a ‘style’ is composing virtually the same shot every time and then applying the same old edit settings with the slide bars for every said shot - sadly I don’t think enough people take the time to find out what it is that really drives them in terms of subject matter - they’re too caught up in what everyone else is doing and often end up just blindly emulating the said generic status quo..as if it’s some benchmark that we should all be aspiring to if we’re to be considered real photographers. On a positive note, there are people following their own path and doing interesting and unique things - i really do believe that’s more to do with developing your own unique way of seeing things - that to me is the only path worth following.
I just got a camera yesterday and listening to you talk about photography fills me up with inspiration. I'm happy I found someone that speaks with his heart in a way I can understand.
I bought mine last week. Struggling a bit with all the new modes and the extensive menu on a modern camera, but I'm working my way through them methodically. Alix, your channel has been a big part of my decision in returning to photography. I've gone back to the start, as I was never a good photographer, and am working at your 'seeing' exercise of looking for alphabet shapes. It's surprisingly good fun. A vid with other exercises would be much appreciated.
@@alanburton7426 just go out and shoot and don’t worry about the settings. You are 10,000 shots away from the starting point. You are a phographer. Shoot.
@@Duckshots I'm doing both, Lorin., but the technology's fighting back. Autofocus seems to have a mind of it's own. I tried to go fully manual but can't see a way to set both shutter speed and aperture at the same time. I'm taking the longer view that it'll familiarise me with the camera and help make using it more instinctive.
So few channels out there that actually address photography as an art form and not just a technical exercise. Always inspiring to get a new TPE video and can't wait for more!
I have been a photographer since early 2000, I never took a class I just went out took photos that I liked to see. I like everything you say, finding my style has been the hardest thing I have ever done in photography. I am all over the map with photography from A to Z, I shoot everything from lightning to macro to portraits to wedding to abstract, landscape, products as so many other things. It just seems so hard to describe how I shoot
This was such an eye opener for me. It never occurred to me that my photographic style is dependent on what I enjoy shooting instead of what I usually end up shooting. I've now seen a few of your videos and this one finally made me subscribe since I really appreciate your authenticity in how you present your videos and your insight into photography as an art form.
being into photography and photo journalism for my whole life career i tryed almost every genre of photography, i started as teenage now im 34, my father is a pro photographer also thats why this path. now i "understood" my style, i paused it for almost 3 years, almost quit the job, right now im specialized ready to go start over again.
Alex, I think you implicitly hit why some are great photographers whether professional or amateur. They enjoy photography as an art and are not trying to please others.
I’ve watched two of your videos today, and finishing with this one made me feel that I know how I like to photograph. This time a year it’s all about birds. The one thing I think of many times is the nature photographers that move around with massive tripods and monster lenses. I pack light, try to predict a birds behavior, like warblers, and try to get as close as possible by moving, stopping still, then move closer quick and silent, then stop again. I climb rocks, cliffs and trees to find a good angle. Sometimes it works sometimes It doesn’t. So that’s my style in terms of how I use my camera. But when editing comes, I sometimes just don’t know what I want to do. Right now cropping is hard, it didn’t use to be but now I sometimes just loose patience.
Man, this was outstanding! I'm out here right now with my little t7i taking pictures of sceneries and buying backgrounds and things and this will help me immensely with finding what my style actually is. which has been on my mind. great job!
One of the strangest things we hear on youtube is "what settings did you use"? Unless you are there at the same time of day with exactly the same weather conditions, the same camera, and lens the answer will not count for much. Just work it out for yourself, try different settings open up your mind. Then you will be on your way to finding your own style.
This is so true. One of my pet peeves is people asking that question. There's little helpful information to be gained from someone else's settings unless, perchance, you have the exact same camera and lens.
Just wonderful, what a way to start the day. Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom with such earnestness. Your that special kind of teacher that one never forgets.
Your videos are really interesting and inspiring. I am not a professional photographer but your clips help me so much to learn to see photographs and observe the world around me. This is very much important to me. Thank you.
I am still unsure what my style is, but I love to do my own thing. When I'm out with my photo clubs, I avoid the shot everyone is taking. I find that so boring. I never feel drawn to take the same photo everyone else is taking. If I don't have a creative idea about how to view it differently, I move on to something else. I like seeing things other people don't. I try to follow my feelings and I think about how things make me feel when I photograph them. It makes me feel connected. My images are of things that speak to me in some way. But if I was asked what my style is, I still don't really know how to answer that. I like the idea of just spreading the work out and looking at it all as a collective.
Absolutely the words I needed to hear, thank you! I've even been looking through photos I took when I was a kid, and trying to decide what they have in common. I need to cast aside thoughts of what other people will like on Instagram and focus more on what makes me pick the camera up and push the shutter release.
Thanks for watching. Yep, even going back to your OG photos will help you recognize your style. Actually that's a great place to start as you weren't creating images for other, just for yourself.
Printing out pictures was exactly, what helped me out a lot! Also, what I recognized: Once I started with photography, there was of course no style or structure to the pictures; but as time moved on, the style emerged. At first, it was closely related to other photographers, that I admire. Later it transformed itself again into (what I would now describe as) my own style. But it did not stay there. It evolved somehow. The feelings, that my style evoked, changed drastically. So overall my expierence is also, that style is not fixed point in time, but much rather an ever evolving subject. Thanks for that video, Alex! Really appreciate it! Your thoughts helped me out a lot!
Thanks for this nice video! I noticed that most famous photographers are attached to a single genre, so they develop their style within that genre. However, I'm more of a generalist, I like to shoot everything from macro to wildlife to galaxies to portraits... So finding a style with so many different variables becomes even more complicated... Maybe one day I'd be able to identify a common feeling to all that.
There are photographers whose style seems to translate across multiple genres - Bailey and Avedon spring to mind. In each genre they have built a style all of their own. It's ok to have different styles for different genres.
@@ThePhotographicEye Thank you very much! I hadn't seen your video on Avedon yet, I just watched it and it is a very good one! I'll explore more about Bailey, he has an interesting, diverse work.
@@iaincphotography6051 Thank you! I started researching about Ernst Haasa and it was love at first sight. I'm buying some of his books for sure. Cheers!
Loved ur expression after the "beatle's photography skills".. had me in splits !!!..excellent video.. clear thought process on "style development".. thks a ton.. cheers vernon_alvares Mumbai India.
Thank you for doing what you are doing. Your content helps me much more than the gear driven channels. You make me approach photography thoughtfully and your videos male me believe that I can become a great photographer by focusing on the right things. Your channel is also very nice for us photographers with shallow pockets, as a fellow African you know how expensive camera gear is on our side😂
I've learned the most about my style by selecting photographs for my books. The books are for me, an audience of one, so I pick the images most moving to me. It's much easier to enjoy and prosper without picking a style to please others. Thanks so much for your videos.
Alex you, both, inspire and encourage me in my photographic endeavours, thank you i like your delivery; clear voice with good vocabulary and diction. All delivered in a voice i could listen to forever..
Thanks for the nudge. Lots of images in Lightroom but no prints. Well now there are two prints and number three will be done in just a couple of minutes. Thanks
In many cases, formal education hurts the creativity process, not just with photography. Sure it will teach you the basics, but like you said, when someone photographs the model from the same spot with the same camera settings, you're taking the same pictures as everyone else.
The experience I had with formal education at photoschool was creatively helpful, though I appreciate that's not everyone's experience. Most likely because we had a lecture about a project, and then were left to get on with it over a week or two. Anything portrait based, we had to find our own model. Still life - create your own. So on and so forth. The only assignments I remember shooting alongside other students were technical things like experimenting with colour charts, learning about movements in 4x5 cameras, DoF tests and stuff like that. Everything else we generally either photographed alone, or in informal little groups. That's the downfall with a lot of workshops. Too many people there, and not enough time.
A very inspiring and helpful video! Thank you! My one question would be, how do you reconcile your style with all the different types of photography? I love landscapes as much as I love portraits, but have struggled when trying to reconcile the two. A lot of people seem to put a great deal of importance on the "grid" and making sure you're offering a very specific type of content.
Right now your video gives me back a level of slight confidence. In a time where I find myself in the need of financial success but lacking this completely I question my work more and more often, up to the point where I do not even question if I have a style as a photographer but being a somewhat okay photographer itself. I guess there's not much artistic in terms of thought process about my photography aside from the aesthetic standpoint and in my head this forms a deficit to my whole work. I need to find my way but I don't know how to get there at this point, but also I'm willing to work through it.
I make a photograph when my heart gets exited about the immage in the viewfinder. I like what you said about photographers at a workshop. This reminded me of photograpic club photography I have seen. I have not joined a club becasue there is a club style photograph at each club. Often I noticed strong characters at the clubs set the requirements though judging competitions and their own work. I dabbled in photography clubs briefly in the 1980's and found the experinces uncomfortable and conformity was required. My K1000 and 50mm lens did not cut the mustard either, a multi mode camera and lots of lenses and flash equipment were needed in that world.
There's a great danger in those Alpha types. Now they've been replaced with 'influencers' who everyone is trying to copy. Of course they are quite happy for that as they can sell presets and courses to make everyones pictures look the same. FWIW, the K1000 was the suggested camera at photoschool in 1992.
Wow, that's something I've not thought of in ages! TBF, never really used it as my first camera was a Canon A1, which had some fancy pants LED's in the viewfinder.
@@ThePhotographicEye I had an A-1 early on. Awesome camera. I moved/regressed to match needle later on. It really reinforces the interdependence of shutter speed and aperture.
@@ThePhotographicEye I knew about the A1 back in the day and bought one a few years ago to see what it is like. It is clever and well featured yet I found it fussy to use though I did make some good photograph with it. After a while I gave it to a friend who'se first camera was an A1 for ol times sake, he missed his A1.
Fantastic video. When i travel i take photos just for myself (not for sale or anything). If I go to somewhere famous (the coliseum in Rome for example), I always see the "gaggle" of people taking the same photo from the same place. When I see that I look for the opposite of where they are shooting from, just to get something different. has lead to some interesting stuff.
So refreshing that you steer clear of specific technique and 'rules.' The creative process comes from within and you convey that beautifully. Thanks for your talks
Another video to save! You communicate so well the love of photography! I don’t know why but whilst watching the video I come to think of the imaginary picture of having a good guy on one shoulder and a bad on the other, you are the good guy on my photographic shoulder 😅 making me think about how I used to be when I was much more creative. Thank you!!
An interesting concept... I've noticed many times that I can recognise the work of some other people without being given even the smallest hint as to who took the photograph, whether I am looking at a picture taken by one of my favourite professionals, or by someone whose work I admire on flickr. However, I've never really been able to put my finger on the reason why I recognise other people's photographs in this way. Maybe once I've tried out this exercise on my own photographs, I may not only understand my own 'style', but may also get a hint as to what it is that stands out in others work that enables that instant recognition.
Thanks for sharing.. again a great video & advice/comments...I get excited just taking pics wherever I happen to be...it is like music as I find good in everything I hear & see ... again thanks for your comments & thoughts..😀
Great video! Especially the Beatles' body-of-work analogy. The best comment I ever received on a photo was "I knew right away this was yours"... That said, I can't describe my style. But, as you said, I try to photograph in a way that seems "natural" to me. I'm still pretty new to this channel, enjoying it very much!
Style should be a concern for artists and commercial photographers competing for customers. Most everyone else should fergettaboutit, especially beginners. I recommend shooting interesting subjects as you see them and try out different kinds of shots. Maybe after 30 years of shooting, you might recognize a style in some or most of the pictures you like.
very helpful thank you, loved the tree bit, when framing I will try to see all things like 'the blind men and the elephant' and look at things in partial ways, just as a way to disrupt my regular patterns and try to get outside my subconscious box
Beautiful encouragement and thought for mind (or whatever you would say in English). Thanks a lot for taking the time to think things through and express them to us all, really appreciate it!
Thank you for the video. Your thought experiment on the tree does help to convey your message to the viewers effectively. All of us have a pre-conceived idea in our mind how the photo of a tree will look like.
As I am just starting again after 50 odd years it may take a year or 2 to get a body of snaps to work out a style, but I allready know that it will take a while just to take my Tutorials from you, I am enjoying this school/uni. Tony Australia
Thank you so much for all the work you put into this channel. It’s truly inspirational! I have been going over my old photos and deleting the ones I did not like. I used to take loads of photos and when I looked back I never had a style. I was just a happy snapper, taking photos of everything. But since I have been made a disabled person with walking difficulties and using walking aids, some days I can use walking cane and bad days having to use crutches. This has slowed me right down and now I see more and it makes me think is their a photo to be had and from which angle. Good luck to Alex.Great expression after the "beatle's photography skills. Shows we are all human.
My first reaction to the argument that the path to finding your own style is to photograph in a way that feels natural is that often times what one is drawn to is rather what is familiar, which leads to taking a photo in a way that they have seen somewhere, perhaps entirely unconsciously. Of course the sum total of all of one's experiences and what one finds to be familiar is what makes someone unique and is what informs one's style, but when standing in front of a specific situation (say a tree), the familiar might take over the personal and lead you down the wrong path.
Yes, and that's why I would encourage people to try as many different approaches of photographing something as possible. Once the expected and familiar have been exhausted, then one starts to explore other possibilities, which will hopefully open new doors to seeing
Excellent video Alex, I've always questioned whether I even have a style mostly because of my diverse interest of subjects and how I photograph them but now I'll have to take a look at my work as a whole and see if there's something there that I'm just not seeing. Cheers!
Nice post. There is something about the iPhone that helps because nothing gets in the way when an image says record me. I think those are the pictures that express my “style”. Thanks to your advice, I can focus on what triggers the urge to snap just that subject in just that way. The other good advice was in an anonymous quote, that every photo is an image of the photographer.
Thanks for another really wonderful video. Your topic today was important and so different than the usual youtube video that tells us which camera we need to make a shot that got a thousand likes on Instagram.
Really excellent content - loving how you are helping us to think about the art behind our photography and not exclusively the technical aspects. Many thanks and looking forward to more of your work.
Great video. Thank you for sharing your thoughts! They help to rely on my own instincts, on subjects that resonate with me, to find joy in the process.
As of now I feel natural and comfortable or satisfied placing my subject on the left or right or bottom with a 50-70 percent background of descriptions or just negative space. I do photographed with various composition but I kept coming back to the preferred tendencies. I feel that I'm describing the subject in its present world. Opinions appreciated.
IRT composition, if it feels natural for you, go for it. I like to have my portrait subject look out of the nearside border. Totally against the 'rules' but hey ho, I like it.
I love this content. I am not a chase the herd guy and personal bests are what Im after naturally. I had started a style but locations and subjects are often hard to come by where i live.
Finding this channel has been the highlight of my year. Thank you for the unique content. Keep it coming 🙌
Wow, thank you! My pleasure and thanks for being here
Exactly!! He says things the same way as I see or perceive it, I just didn't know how to explain that well haha. His vision and messages are so worthy !!
Agreed!!
I've studied photography in art school for 2 years, then dropped off 'cause of lack of time. I never heard there such great advice as here with that 9 minutes. Thank you.
Great to hear! I'm having to condense 30ish years into a few minutes, so glad to hear it's coming across LD
Hands down the most interesting and engaging photography channel on RUclips, thank you! I don’t consider that I have a style as such. But I used to have an Instagram account with several thousand followers (I deleted it after a while) and one chap commented that he loved to look at my photos “and listen to the silence”. They were photographs of many different types but that one comment caused me to re-evaluate everything I had shared and indeed I began to see a common theme which I had never detected before. I still wouldn’t call it a “style”, but that comment is still the most insightful and flattering thing anyone has ever said about my photos.
Is'nt it odd when people say what your work means to them. It opens our eyes to the true impact of our photography.
Thanks for being here and taking the time to watch these shows.
@@ThePhotographicEye I wouldn’t miss a single video. Yours is the only channel I look forward to each and every week. Thank you so much for all the work you put into this channel. It’s truly inspirational!
That's awesome to hear, thanks ever so much
"Your style is how you interpret the world around you." Boom, nailed it. That clears everything up, thanks!
This really answers some of my questions. I’ve never been in a gaggle. Usually alone.
You will probably get a ton of comments on this one, especially from long time photographers. I spent a few years last century with a film SLR feeling lost, for the most part. I picked up a book by John Shaw and buckled down to fully understand the technical aspects of the camera. And then about 25 years ago, it occurred to me that I was finally becoming confident with handling the thing. It was around that point that the curtains opened, the clouds parted, and choir began to sing. Well, sort of anyway. Effort over time will quietly work its magic.
yeah like many tools, when trying to plot a course on a marine chart, or build a shelf out of wood, or build a website, at first the focus is on the strange tools and techniques, but when they fade into the subconscious the design starts to shine through
As you touched on in the video, I think a lot of people think a ‘style’ is composing virtually the same shot every time and then applying the same old edit settings with the slide bars for every said shot - sadly I don’t think enough people take the time to find out what it is that really drives them in terms of subject matter - they’re too caught up in what everyone else is doing and often end up just blindly emulating the said generic status quo..as if it’s some benchmark that we should all be aspiring to if we’re to be considered real photographers.
On a positive note, there are people following their own path and doing interesting and unique things - i really do believe that’s more to do with developing your own unique way of seeing things - that to me is the only path worth following.
I just got a camera yesterday and listening to you talk about photography fills me up with inspiration. I'm happy I found someone that speaks with his heart in a way I can understand.
You're most very welcome FM. It's great to hear you're finding these inspirational. Enjoy the ride!
I bought mine last week. Struggling a bit with all the new modes and the extensive menu on a modern camera, but I'm working my way through them methodically.
Alix, your channel has been a big part of my decision in returning to photography. I've gone back to the start, as I was never a good photographer, and am working at your 'seeing' exercise of looking for alphabet shapes. It's surprisingly good fun. A vid with other exercises would be much appreciated.
@@alanburton7426 just go out and shoot and don’t worry about the settings. You are 10,000 shots away from the starting point. You are a phographer. Shoot.
@@Duckshots I'm doing both, Lorin., but the technology's fighting back. Autofocus seems to have a mind of it's own. I tried to go fully manual but can't see a way to set both shutter speed and aperture at the same time. I'm taking the longer view that it'll familiarise me with the camera and help make using it more instinctive.
@@alanburton7426 What camera are you using?
So few channels out there that actually address photography as an art form and not just a technical exercise. Always inspiring to get a new TPE video and can't wait for more!
At the moment I only actively watch very few photographic RUclips channels. The two standouts are yours and Sean Tucker. Great work, keep it up.
I have been a photographer since early 2000, I never took a class I just went out took photos that I liked to see. I like everything you say, finding my style has been the hardest thing I have ever done in photography. I am all over the map with photography from A to Z, I shoot everything from lightning to macro to portraits to wedding to abstract, landscape, products as so many other things. It just seems so hard to describe how I shoot
This is probably the best photography channel on RUclips. Certainly, the best I've seen. Thank you.
This was such an eye opener for me. It never occurred to me that my photographic style is dependent on what I enjoy shooting instead of what I usually end up shooting.
I've now seen a few of your videos and this one finally made me subscribe since I really appreciate your authenticity in how you present your videos and your insight into photography as an art form.
Thanks for subscribing, it's great to have you here.
Too many people confuse style with a specific look.
being into photography and photo journalism for my whole life career i tryed almost every genre of photography, i started as teenage now im 34, my father is a pro photographer also thats why this path. now i "understood" my style, i paused it for almost 3 years, almost quit the job, right now im specialized ready to go start over again.
Great to hear that, thanks for watching
Alex, I think you implicitly hit why some are great photographers whether professional or amateur. They enjoy photography as an art and are not trying to please others.
Yes, I believe you may be right. Doesn't matter if your a pro or not, if you don't enjoy the expression of ones inner voice then the work falls flat
I’ve watched two of your videos today, and finishing with this one made me feel that I know how I like to photograph. This time a year it’s all about birds. The one thing I think of many times is the nature photographers that move around with massive tripods and monster lenses.
I pack light, try to predict a birds behavior, like warblers, and try to get as close as possible by moving, stopping still, then move closer quick and silent, then stop again. I climb rocks, cliffs and trees to find a good angle. Sometimes it works sometimes It doesn’t.
So that’s my style in terms of how I use my camera. But when editing comes, I sometimes just don’t know what I want to do. Right now cropping is hard, it didn’t use to be but now I sometimes just loose patience.
Man, this was outstanding!
I'm out here right now with my little t7i taking pictures of sceneries and buying backgrounds and things and this will help me immensely with finding what my style actually is. which has been on my mind. great job!
One of the strangest things we hear on youtube is "what settings did you use"? Unless you are there at the same time of day with exactly the same weather conditions, the same camera, and lens the answer will not count for much. Just work it out for yourself, try different settings open up your mind. Then you will be on your way to finding your own style.
This is so true. One of my pet peeves is people asking that question. There's little helpful information to be gained from someone else's settings unless, perchance, you have the exact same camera and lens.
Even worse, what camera did you use? Drives me nuts!
I use a black camera. Some use a silver one.
I can understand why people ask this though, it's easy to quantify and copy. We've all been there, but it's knowing that there are other options.
@@californiahiker9616 So you're having a quality meal and you ask the Chef what stove he uses lol.
Just wonderful, what a way to start the day.
Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom with such earnestness.
Your that special kind of teacher that one never forgets.
Style stemming from desire and what feels natural...thanks for the new perspective Alex!
Inspiration in every video! Thank you for sharing your wisdom. I'm 73; photography is a most rewarding journey.
Couldn't agree more! Thanks for being here Nick
Thing is there was amazing photography surrounding the Beatles - they were magnets for creative people
Absolutely. Linda McCartney's images are a wonderful insight
Your videos are really interesting and inspiring. I am not a professional photographer but your clips help me so much to learn to see photographs and observe the world around me. This is very much important to me. Thank you.
Thanks for the encouragement through your videos
I'm pleased that it helped you out Jon
I am still unsure what my style is, but I love to do my own thing. When I'm out with my photo clubs, I avoid the shot everyone is taking. I find that so boring. I never feel drawn to take the same photo everyone else is taking. If I don't have a creative idea about how to view it differently, I move on to something else. I like seeing things other people don't. I try to follow my feelings and I think about how things make me feel when I photograph them. It makes me feel connected. My images are of things that speak to me in some way. But if I was asked what my style is, I still don't really know how to answer that. I like the idea of just spreading the work out and looking at it all as a collective.
Love your videos without an exception! Thankyou 🙏
Glad you like them!
Absolutely the words I needed to hear, thank you! I've even been looking through photos I took when I was a kid, and trying to decide what they have in common. I need to cast aside thoughts of what other people will like on Instagram and focus more on what makes me pick the camera up and push the shutter release.
Thanks for watching. Yep, even going back to your OG photos will help you recognize your style.
Actually that's a great place to start as you weren't creating images for other, just for yourself.
Thank You for leaving your little mistake in this video.. your off camera personality really came thru.. 👍
:D haha, and my wife didn't even comment about it!!!
Glad it made you smile
Printing out pictures was exactly, what helped me out a lot! Also, what I recognized: Once I started with photography, there was of course no style or structure to the pictures; but as time moved on, the style emerged. At first, it was closely related to other photographers, that I admire. Later it transformed itself again into (what I would now describe as) my own style. But it did not stay there. It evolved somehow. The feelings, that my style evoked, changed drastically. So overall my expierence is also, that style is not fixed point in time, but much rather an ever evolving subject.
Thanks for that video, Alex! Really appreciate it! Your thoughts helped me out a lot!
I shall go forth and unleash my inner potential right now. Sage advice thank you.
Great to hear :D
Thanks for this nice video! I noticed that most famous photographers are attached to a single genre, so they develop their style within that genre. However, I'm more of a generalist, I like to shoot everything from macro to wildlife to galaxies to portraits... So finding a style with so many different variables becomes even more complicated... Maybe one day I'd be able to identify a common feeling to all that.
There are photographers whose style seems to translate across multiple genres - Bailey and Avedon spring to mind. In each genre they have built a style all of their own.
It's ok to have different styles for different genres.
You're a Photographer with a wider view of the world. Take a look at the work of Ernst has, he covered so much.
@@ThePhotographicEye Thank you very much! I hadn't seen your video on Avedon yet, I just watched it and it is a very good one! I'll explore more about Bailey, he has an interesting, diverse work.
@@iaincphotography6051 Thank you! I started researching about Ernst Haasa and it was love at first sight. I'm buying some of his books for sure. Cheers!
@@cmeluzzi That is so good to hear, enjoy Claudio.
Loved ur expression after the "beatle's photography skills".. had me in splits !!!..excellent video.. clear thought process on "style development".. thks a ton.. cheers vernon_alvares Mumbai India.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for doing what you are doing. Your content helps me much more than the gear driven channels. You make me approach photography thoughtfully and your videos male me believe that I can become a great photographer by focusing on the right things. Your channel is also very nice for us photographers with shallow pockets, as a fellow African you know how expensive camera gear is on our side😂
Love the exercises you give. They teach more than words could explain. Thank you!
I've learned the most about my style by selecting photographs for my books. The books are for me, an audience of one, so I pick the images most moving to me. It's much easier to enjoy and prosper without picking a style to please others. Thanks so much for your videos.
So simple, so elegant, so informative. Love your style mate.
My pleasure - think I'm getting the hang of my videos now
Thanks again Alex for truly valuable insight, so lacking on most photography channels
Thanks Neil, it's great to be able to share with you all.
True treasure this channel is
Next time I hear your music beginning at min 7:30 and my style will find me😉 Thank you for such an important advice 🙏
Brilliant again , very timely for me … thanks 🙏 , have a great day , cheers Gary
Alex you, both, inspire and encourage me in my photographic endeavours, thank you
i like your delivery; clear voice with good vocabulary and diction. All delivered in a voice i could listen to forever..
Always thought provoking and deeply inspiring, Alex. You have confirmed to me that I was on the right track regarding my own style. Thank you!
My pleasure.
Always amazed at what I walk away with when I watch your videos! Thanks again!
Such good content. Really appreciate the effort
Thanks for the nudge. Lots of images in Lightroom but no prints. Well now there are two prints and number three will be done in just a couple of minutes. Thanks
Sounds great! Printing your work is such an underrated skill
In many cases, formal education hurts the creativity process, not just with photography. Sure it will teach you the basics, but like you said, when someone photographs the model from the same spot with the same camera settings, you're taking the same pictures as everyone else.
The experience I had with formal education at photoschool was creatively helpful, though I appreciate that's not everyone's experience. Most likely because we had a lecture about a project, and then were left to get on with it over a week or two.
Anything portrait based, we had to find our own model. Still life - create your own. So on and so forth. The only assignments I remember shooting alongside other students were technical things like experimenting with colour charts, learning about movements in 4x5 cameras, DoF tests and stuff like that.
Everything else we generally either photographed alone, or in informal little groups.
That's the downfall with a lot of workshops. Too many people there, and not enough time.
I needed this channel in 2011 after graduating but now is the next best time. So thankful!! 😅❤️
Amazing video. Your channel is not about the gear, but about the art. Thank you!
TOP content ! Great advices in all your videos ;) Thanks
A very inspiring and helpful video! Thank you! My one question would be, how do you reconcile your style with all the different types of photography? I love landscapes as much as I love portraits, but have struggled when trying to reconcile the two. A lot of people seem to put a great deal of importance on the "grid" and making sure you're offering a very specific type of content.
How refreshing to hear your sage advise, thank you so much for this
Right now your video gives me back a level of slight confidence. In a time where I find myself in the need of financial success but lacking this completely I question my work more and more often, up to the point where I do not even question if I have a style as a photographer but being a somewhat okay photographer itself.
I guess there's not much artistic in terms of thought process about my photography aside from the aesthetic standpoint and in my head this forms a deficit to my whole work.
I need to find my way but I don't know how to get there at this point, but also I'm willing to work through it.
Such a good channel, thanks Alex! I’m going to make a bunch of small prints and see what I can see.
Your videos are so inspiring!! Keep them coming. Thanks !!!
Great to hear you're enjoying them Joseph. My pleasure!
This is my favorite photography channel for sure, and this was a great video. Thank you!
Another diamond in the rough my freind. Your videos are second to none in the RUclips photo space
That's extremely kind of you. Thanks for being here and watching
Wonderful.
I agree totally, looking at printed images helps in so many ways to improve photography
Very much so. Thanks for watching
I make a photograph when my heart gets exited about the immage in the viewfinder. I like what you said about photographers at a workshop. This reminded me of photograpic club photography I have seen. I have not joined a club becasue there is a club style photograph at each club. Often I noticed strong characters at the clubs set the requirements though judging competitions and their own work. I dabbled in photography clubs briefly in the 1980's and found the experinces uncomfortable and conformity was required. My K1000 and 50mm lens did not cut the mustard either, a multi mode camera and lots of lenses and flash equipment were needed in that world.
There's a great danger in those Alpha types. Now they've been replaced with 'influencers' who everyone is trying to copy. Of course they are quite happy for that as they can sell presets and courses to make everyones pictures look the same.
FWIW, the K1000 was the suggested camera at photoschool in 1992.
@@ThePhotographicEye I miss match needle metering. It’s such a tactile way to learn.
Wow, that's something I've not thought of in ages!
TBF, never really used it as my first camera was a Canon A1, which had some fancy pants LED's in the viewfinder.
@@ThePhotographicEye I had an A-1 early on. Awesome camera. I moved/regressed to match needle later on. It really reinforces the interdependence of shutter speed and aperture.
@@ThePhotographicEye I knew about the A1 back in the day and bought one a few years ago to see what it is like. It is clever and well featured yet I found it fussy to use though I did make some good photograph with it. After a while I gave it to a friend who'se first camera was an A1 for ol times sake, he missed his A1.
I got this video recommended by RUclips... Finally some sense to what finding your own style looks like 😄
Thanks!
Sir, the added value of your work is simply huge. Thank you very much. Greetings from Tunisia
Thank you
Fantastic video. When i travel i take photos just for myself (not for sale or anything). If I go to somewhere famous (the coliseum in Rome for example), I always see the "gaggle" of people taking the same photo from the same place. When I see that I look for the opposite of where they are shooting from, just to get something different. has lead to some interesting stuff.
So refreshing that you steer clear of specific technique and 'rules.' The creative process comes from within and you convey that beautifully. Thanks for your talks
Another video to save! You communicate so well the love of photography! I don’t know why but whilst watching the video I come to think of the imaginary picture of having a good guy on one shoulder and a bad on the other, you are the good guy on my photographic shoulder 😅 making me think about how I used to be when I was much more creative. Thank you!!
An interesting concept...
I've noticed many times that I can recognise the work of some other people without being given even the smallest hint as to who took the photograph, whether I am looking at a picture taken by one of my favourite professionals, or by someone whose work I admire on flickr.
However, I've never really been able to put my finger on the reason why I recognise other people's photographs in this way.
Maybe once I've tried out this exercise on my own photographs, I may not only understand my own 'style', but may also get a hint as to what it is that stands out in others work that enables that instant recognition.
Thanks for sharing.. again a great video & advice/comments...I get excited just taking pics wherever I happen to be...it is like music as I find good in everything I hear & see ... again thanks for your comments & thoughts..😀
My pleasure Robert. Thanks for watching
You´re making to think and rethinking my photographic pratice. I can express how much I appreciate it!
Great video! Especially the Beatles' body-of-work analogy. The best comment I ever received on a photo was "I knew right away this was yours"... That said, I can't describe my style. But, as you said, I try to photograph in a way that seems "natural" to me. I'm still pretty new to this channel, enjoying it very much!
Style should be a concern for artists and commercial photographers competing for customers. Most everyone else should fergettaboutit, especially beginners. I recommend shooting interesting subjects as you see them and try out different kinds of shots. Maybe after 30 years of shooting, you might recognize a style in some or most of the pictures you like.
very helpful thank you, loved the tree bit, when framing I will try to see all things like 'the blind men and the elephant' and look at things in partial ways, just as a way to disrupt my regular patterns and try to get outside my subconscious box
Thank you for being so accessible. This is really encouraging.
Glad it was helpful!
This is an underrated channel. I love this channel I feel my art wants to come out ❤
Beautiful encouragement and thought for mind (or whatever you would say in English). Thanks a lot for taking the time to think things through and express them to us all, really appreciate it!
Thank you very much!
You're my favourite channel mate🙌🏼❤️
Photographers should watch this video.
That would be handy! :D
24k Wow .... keep going ... great advice as all ways
Thank you 🙌 I know, it's crazy right?? And to think I only had 900 odd at the start of March
Great video that help me see things I haven't noterade before. Big thanks 😊
Thank you for the video. Your thought experiment on the tree does help to convey your message to the viewers effectively. All of us have a pre-conceived idea in our mind how the photo of a tree will look like.
Thanks Jacky. Glad you found it a helpful exercise. I wonder what everyone's trees looked like.
As I am just starting again after 50 odd years it may take a year or 2 to get a body of snaps to work out a style, but I allready know that it will take a while just to take my Tutorials from you, I am enjoying this school/uni.
Tony Australia
superb video! thanks a lot for this.
Always look forward to the “How’s it How’s it”
Thank you so much for all the work you put into this channel. It’s truly inspirational! I have been going over my old photos and deleting the ones I did not like. I used to take loads of photos and when I looked back I never had a style. I was just a happy snapper, taking photos of everything. But since I have been made a disabled person with walking difficulties and using walking aids, some days I can use walking cane and bad days having to use crutches. This has slowed me right down and now I see more and it makes me think is their a photo to be had and from which angle. Good luck to Alex.Great expression after the "beatle's photography skills. Shows we are all human.
Thanks for sharing that Bob. I'm so pleased to hear you're enjoying my little faux pas! 😵
Love this! Watching multiple times.
Going through this at the moment. Super video as always.
Thanks for taking the time to watch it Sarah
Thank you for your insight. You remind me of my High School photography teacher. I just wish I had been more attentive in those days.
I needed this more than you know. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
My first reaction to the argument that the path to finding your own style is to photograph in a way that feels natural is that often times what one is drawn to is rather what is familiar, which leads to taking a photo in a way that they have seen somewhere, perhaps entirely unconsciously.
Of course the sum total of all of one's experiences and what one finds to be familiar is what makes someone unique and is what informs one's style, but when standing in front of a specific situation (say a tree), the familiar might take over the personal and lead you down the wrong path.
Yes, and that's why I would encourage people to try as many different approaches of photographing something as possible.
Once the expected and familiar have been exhausted, then one starts to explore other possibilities, which will hopefully open new doors to seeing
Glad you left in that bit about The Beatles' photography!
People seem to like it!
And the “shoulds” ;)
Always such a good good discussion. Thanks again.
It's me pleasure, as usual thank you for being here
A mindful meditation just listening you ❤️
🤗 :D
Excellent video Alex, I've always questioned whether I even have a style mostly because of my diverse interest of subjects and how I photograph them but now I'll have to take a look at my work as a whole and see if there's something there that I'm just not seeing. Cheers!
Taking a step back, physically, certainly helps to show the whole picture. Thanks for watching Rich!
I have recently just found your channel and have been loving what you have been saying.
Thanks for being here Scott.
Nice post. There is something about the iPhone that helps because nothing gets in the way when an image says record me. I think those are the pictures that express my “style”. Thanks to your advice, I can focus on what triggers the urge to snap just that subject in just that way. The other good advice was in an anonymous quote, that every photo is an image of the photographer.
I also use my iphone for the majority of my personal photography these days. Mostly because I like to shoot square..
Thanks for watching Lynn
Thanks for another really wonderful video. Your topic today was important and so different than the usual youtube video that tells us which camera we need to make a shot that got a thousand likes on Instagram.
"the usual youtube video that tells us which camera we need to make a shot that got a thousand likes on Instagram."
Damm, that was my next video!! :D
I agree with your ideas. Thanks. Keep them coming
Good to hear!
A pleasure to listen, a great help
Thanks Paul!
Really excellent content - loving how you are helping us to think about the art behind our photography and not exclusively the technical aspects. Many thanks and looking forward to more of your work.
Great video. Thank you for sharing your thoughts! They help to rely on my own instincts, on subjects that resonate with me, to find joy in the process.
As of now I feel natural and comfortable or satisfied placing my subject on the left or right or bottom with a 50-70 percent background of descriptions or just negative space. I do photographed with various composition but I kept coming back to the preferred tendencies. I feel that I'm describing the subject in its present world. Opinions appreciated.
IRT composition, if it feels natural for you, go for it. I like to have my portrait subject look out of the nearside border. Totally against the 'rules' but hey ho, I like it.
I'm so happy I was recommended this channel!! I really enjoy listening to your mentorship. Keep it up!!
I love this content. I am not a chase the herd guy and personal bests are what Im after naturally. I had started a style but locations and subjects are often hard to come by where i live.