14 Comments

Thanks for your thought-provoking post Gill. I found it, and the comments from others, led me to thinking about style in a new way. And I’m always fond of a list! I look forward to your Monday morning posts; they give my photographic week a happy springboard. No pressure though!

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Thank you so much Steve. I am always thrilled when anyone reads my posts so it's lovely to know you enjoy them too and I appreciate your comments.

I have found all the comments from this weeks post really interesting and thought provoking so there may be more to come on this subject in the future 🙂

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Gill, I think that with all art not just photography that it is style that draws us to the artist/photographer! Not all art is appreciated by all, as often said it is in the eye of the beholder, but I think more than just the visual, often there is an emotional connection, probably why we all prefer some things/images than others. Your style is one that certainly appeals to me, and I look forward to listening to the podcast with Kim, another photographer that I follow!

Thanks for another thoughtful post and your steps to style!

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Thank you very much Chris for your kind words and I hope you enjoy the podcast when it comes out.

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Gill, I certainly agree that style evolves and clarifies itself over time - in part because the work coalesces around certain subjects or stories. Do you find your style changes for different subjects? I have always admired artists who are able to radically recreate their style to tell a particular story or explore an idea.

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Thank you for your comments James which have really made me think. I suppose to an extent my style evolves for different projects. I have done two very different book projects - one called Grounded, which I shot in black and white (not my usual 'style') and one called Rooted which was about an ancient oakwood. For this body of work I adopted a darker feel for my images because it suited the mysterious mood of the forest. Despite these projects having very different images, I still think you can tell they are my work - they have an overall aesthetic which is obviously mine.

I think in most cases 'style' goes much deeper than just the look and feel of an image and in my case I think it is a constant that runs through all my images despite their mood or subject matter.

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Thanks Gill. I like your distinction between look and style. I feel I have some way to go before I recognise my style, although I am sure I will get there with time.

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Beautiful shallow focus images Gill. Right up my street. 😀😀

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Thank you very much Jon, I love photographing the smaller details in a landscape, they add so much to the overall story.

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I like those 5 tips on building a style. I can see that I now have a style, but its only recognizable to me in hindsight. Definitely not something I was conscious of or deliberately creating.

The frost photos are great, but I LOVE the Fire and Ice photo! Still waiting for the first frost here.

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Thank you very much for your comments Erik, I'm glad you enjoyed the post.

I think you definitely have a recognisable style centred around the landscapes and wildlife you love photographing. I don't think it is something any of us set out to consciously acquire but it develops as our work gets more refined.

I look forward to seeing more of your images - your owl shots were beautiful.

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Hey, thank you! That means a lot!!

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I've never felt like I have a style either, this was a great read for me! I have gotten in the habit of relying on my phone more because I'm traveling, but I really need to make an effort to carry my camera more places again.

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Thank you very much for your comments Alicia. I think we all have a style, it's just that sometimes we don't recognise it. If you look back over all your images, whether they were taken with a phone or camera you will find common themes that link them all together.

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