Improving your styling and photography isn’t always about the technical - the tools, the gear, the settings. Once you know the basics, it becomes more about your ability to: 1) apply your own perspective to the scene you capture, 2) study in a way that gives you new ideas, 3) review your work in a way that allows you to grow, and 4) let go of past beliefs that were taught to you along the way.
Here are some easy things you can do to build your skill and style. All but one is completely free.
Print your work: Take your eyes away from a screen and view your work in print. What do you notice with it in hand that you didn’t on the screen? Do you love it? If not, what would you change? You can print with a printer at home* or send off for 4-by-6-inch prints with an online service for as little as 30 cents each.
Choose your perspective: What type of photo excites you the most when you see it? A filled-frame flatlay? A minimal shot with lots of negative space? A scene that tells a full story? A tight macro shot? If it’s all of the above, choose the one you are most excited about at this very moment. Put blinders on and create only work like that for a while. See where it takes you.
Identify what only you have access to: Each of us has something we bring to our photos that is unique to us. Start by looking around you, at your environment. I have window grids that bring in beautiful afternoon light, but I have no comforting snowy scenes or intriguing city streets in view from my windows. We often focus on what we don’t have that prevents us from creating a photo we like by someone else. Focus on what you do have to create a photo unlike any other.
Get rid of old props you don’t use: They clutter your space and sometimes cause you to feel guilty that you purchased them but don’t use them. Donate the items and move on. Sit with some extra space for a while or save up and buy new pieces that truly fit your style right now.
Study in analog instead of digital: Have you always taken online courses or watched YouTube videos to build your skills? Grab a photography book and start learning. You may find that something clicks for you learning in that format that didn’t happen with other methods of study.
Review in analog instead of digital: If you always study other photos on Instagram or Pinterest, turn off the screen and grab a book. Head to the library, flip through cookbooks, floral design books, interior design books, and travel books with photos. There is so much content out there. And if you worry that the books are old and not on trend, just wait. Like fashion, photo styles will circle back. They always do.
Go to the portfolio: If studying the work of others inspires you, leave the social media profiles. Go to an artist’s portfolio website. Most have so much more work that is more beautifully displayed than what is allowed in a tiny grid. Detail, light, props, and angles - these are more visible on a website portfolio. Explore the artist’s categories of work - their personal, editorial, and commercial work. It will open the narrow view you may have of them and show that you can create more than one thing.
Choose one other art form that complements your photography work: Let something else fuel your creativity aside from photographs. Grow herbs or succulents to use in your photos, learn how to naturally dye linens, paint or draw, macrame, crochet, try paper quilling, or junk journal. These things give your brain a creative break while building your eye for textures and colors that you can bring back to your styling. You might also end up with a unique prop to use in your photos.
Let go of someone else’s style and settings: Did you learn from someone that you should always do it one way? An ISO setting, an aperture setting, a styling technique? Have you ever tried changing it? There are certainly correct and incorrect ways to operate a camera, but photography is art. There are often many ways to do one thing. See if you can push the limits to those only this way beliefs that were pushed on you.
Choosing just one of these to test out for a few weeks will change things. And I’d love to know how, so swing back to let me know. Until then, any other things you’ve done that have helped you improve your styling and photography?
*I use HP printers and love their Instant Ink Membership where I pay a low monthly price based on the number of pages printed and they ship me ink whenever I run out at no additional cost. That’s my referral link so if you decide to try it, we both get a month free.
I also use Red River Paper for all my printing. My favorite is the Polar Matte photo printing paper. (I’m an affiliate so I earn a small amount from sales through my links.)
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