Every artist, whether a painter, sculptor or photographer
gets inspiration from everything around them. I believe our heads are always
swimming with ideas for creating something new or capturing what we see in a
new and interesting way. As a photographer I often look at my surroundings as I
do from the viewfinder. Thinking about lighting, depth of field and how I would
I would frame something. We also get
inspiration by looking at the works of other artists. My Facebook newsfeed is
filled with the images of photographers, I peruse the photography Pinterest
boards and my email inbox is filled with various photography newsletters. In
the past month I’ve found myself overwhelmed with the information of Photoshop
actions, editing information, prop sales and feeling as if I don’t have
everything I need. I need to buy actions, I need to buy more props, I need to
buy more backdrops.
Then yesterday, I had an “aha moment”! I was helping my
little sister pick a photographer for her wedding. I am familiar with both photographers
work as I follow them both on Facebook and their blogs. Both are talented, both
have a similar creative eye, where they differ is in their editing. One is more natural, one is more dramatic. We
both agreed we liked the more natural better. And I realized, that is me; that has always been me and has always been
my vision. Capturing my subjects in their natural surroundings, in their
vulnerable moments, in their natural interactions with each other – that is my
vision, my style. I like natural light
and I feel it produces the most natural images. I like simplistic. I love
finding places, buildings and interesting objects to use as backdrops for my
photo shoots. That is my style.
That being said I also like to try new things and I like to
offer my clients options, but I am not going to stray too far from my style and
my vision. I do have studio lighting and backdrops so that a mix of natural
light and studio light can produce great shots for the long winter months of
Montana. I prefer to use this for small children only. I feel strongly that
family photos and larger groups are done best in an outdoor setting . I like
using props, in the right setting and when they don’t overwhelm the subject,
but instead brings out their personality or adds a bit of interest to the
image. But I also like the simplicity of
black and white of the subject alone, capturing the emotion in their
eyes.
So I think today I will peruse through my own
images. Take inspiration from myself, before I let others get into my head. To
remind myself who I am as an artist!
