What are you like?

04 June, 2008 12:50:00 Nathan

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This week's project comes directly from the much appreciated contributions to the assignment ideas thread:

How true is the phrase "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery?"; when I was a kid I liked to play guitar and I felt that the best way to get as good as my idols was by doing what they did. Luckily for musicians there are books out there with all of the technical knowledge you need to recreate your favorite tune once you've mastered the actual practicality of it.

The idea is similar in photography as there are many effects tutorials out there, although unlike a song that can be reproduced anywhere, to produce a specific photograph faithfully, you need to have the same subjects, which in the vast majority of cases is simply not practical.

Therefore approximating a photographer’s style is the aim of this week's project.

The individual style of any photographer can't be bottled and explained away in '10 easy steps' although you can gain insight by researching and studying the darkroom and shooting techniques that your chosen subject uses. Really, you have to 'get into the head' of the person you idolize if you wish to produce something similar to them - ask yourself the following:

What technical aspects link his/her photos that make them undeniably his/hers, think about the framing, perspective etc... used in the field as well as what you feel may have been done to the image in post processing

What motivates them to publicise the shots they produce, remember that one image is likely to be one of a number taken that day, and so ask yourself: why did they shoot that particular shot in the field? And why was it singled out in post processing as a 'money shot'?

Also consider what the photographer tries to say with his/her photographs, are all of their photographs a statement about life or civilisation or culture? Does each photograph represent a unique statement or are all of the photographs linked by an overall statement?

Finally, once you have considered all of the above and feel confident to produce something representative of your idol's style, set up your shot and ask yourself how you feel this person would approach what is in front of you and start snapping.

I urge anyone to try this exercise if they are looking to advance their photography artistically and push the boundaries of their own style. There is obviously something about your favorite photographer and their images that strikes a chord with you, so why not seek it out and attempt to inject it into your own work - it may very well be the next step in the evolution of your own style!