Shoot What You Like
Photograph What Makes You Happy
Have you ever heard someone say, “You need to shoot only one style of photography to be a real photographer”? I know I have, a lot. We scroll endlessly on our social media pages and flip through paper books looking at one great image after the next. There are street photographers, portrait photographers, landscape photographers, wedding photographers, etc. Some of these photographers are the best at what they do and stick to that one style because they like it and are comfortable with it, or it makes them money.
The best professional advice photographer Henry Horenstein ever received was to “shoot what you love.”
These specialists make money from being the best at their craft and that usually translates into photographing in one specific style. Maybe in their spare time they like to shoot different styles, but in their profession, it’s usually one style only. Do you think that when we they take photographs other than their specific style that the image is great? I bet it is! I would also say that it took them a long time to perfect their craft and are probably still trying to perfect their other styles.
Don’t let yourself get caught up with thinking that this is the way you have to shoot. Shoot what you love. Shoot what you see. If there is a scene you see with your eyes, and you like it, shoot it with your camera. If you want to try taking portraits of your family or friends, do it. There are pictures to be made everywhere we go in life. Pictures of people, pictures of mountains or beaches, pictures of nature, etc. Let your creativity run wild! If you find yourself mostly taking pictures of landscapes, try taking some pictures of birds or maybe try some macro photography. If you feel like you only take pictures of your animals, try taking some pictures outside of different objects surrounding you. Get creative. Sometimes I find myself mentally getting in a rut of photographing the same beach the same way or taking pictures of other landscapes over and over. I have to make the mental adjustment to try a different angle or shoot in black and white. I try to shoot in different light or shoot something that is I see as plain and ordinary but turn it into something extraordinary. There are times I feel like I use my phone to much for images or other times I feel I am using only one camera or lens to much. Mix it up. There are no rules to photography telling you that you need to be only photographing one thing and one thing only or using one specific camera or lens for everything.
Maybe you might say to yourself “these images don’t look the best” when trying to get out of your comfort zone. Do you think the best photographers just got a camera one day and started taking amazing shots? No! They took image after image to perfect their eye and the shot. Time, patience and practice will make you better at anything. Don’t get discouraged, you can do it if you put your mind to it. Don’t get stuck in that rut and don’t think you need to shoot only one way to be good. Remember, there are infinite ways to shoot one thing, so try it! Get out, explore, shoot something different.
