When you were starting out, did you ever wonder if you were skilled enough to take up client projects? Did you fear not being able to deliver their vision of photography?
Perhaps, that’s something that still crosses your mind – how much knowledge or skill do you need to work as a professional photographer? And does your signature style limit you or build new opportunities for you?
The truth is that we can be as skilled as we want to be to be able to work commercially.
The only difference is that the smaller our skillset, the smaller the base of clients we may have. The bigger our set of skills, the bigger the base.
When we start out, we are exposed to different styles of photography – to the point where it can sometimes be overwhelming and confusing.
Often, we are so narrowed down to one particular style that we resonate with that we celebrate and run with it. We find ourselves in that particular style.
While that’s understandable, how does that translate to client work? Does having just one style limit opportunities?
The role of a signature photography style
On one hand, having a signature style when starting out gives us the initial confidence boost we need to reach out to clients and pursue commercial projects.
This also means that we end up working with clients who have a similar style of photography in their brand.
On the other hand, it can be limiting as well. If we can only create one style of photos, then we can only ever work with brands that need or fit that style.
What if there’s a really cool brand that you want to work with that has a different style you’ve never done or explored before?
You have to let it go… or do you?
The importance of versatility
The key to having a style and a growing business is being versatile.
Being versatile allows us to work on a range of projects from editorial projects with magazines, to commercial projects for restaurants, and even brands that want a combination of styles.
If we want to work with clients of different backgrounds, we need skills that expand over a range of styles of photography. There are different styles of photography. Some are similar to each other but some are very different from each other.
For example, levitation photography is very different from stop-motion and videos are very different from still-life photography. These are so distinct that we can almost segment them as a specialization in itself.
For the majority of us, though, having the skills to cover a range of styles means that we can work in a range of camera angles, can work with any colour, can create different styles of light and moods based on what the client wants.
That doesn’t mean we need to know how to make stop-motion videos and do levitation photography. What it does mean is that within our given range of skills, we can still cover many different styles of photography.
Conclusion
So, my take on having a style is that we should definitely have a key signature style but in order to move forward in our professional paths, we need to start building up the repertoire of our styles.
This is one of the best ways to increase our client base, start bringing in more opportunities, and get a larger network of clients in our portfolio.
Don’t let your style limit you. Let your style guide you. Let it show you your full potential as a creative person. Let it help you build a unique identity.
Work it to your advantage so that you can get the best names in your portfolio and some heavy dollars into your bank account.
Remember, having a style does not stop us from being versatile. No one says we can only have one style of photography. We can have one signature style but that too, is a constant evolution process.
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