So how to deal with all that? Is that true that a good photograph can defend itself? That is true, but not entirely. You need to make yourself heard, show the world your fantastic work. The question is how to stand out from the crowd of other photographers marching for the same pie? One of the things that you can do, and to my mind a really vital one, is defining your style of photography. And, believe me, if you fail to do that, then someone else will do that for you. And in such case, it is immensely difficult to break free from the ideas that are already there, in the minds of audiences. And that’s not the point, right?
What we should know is that the style of our photography often goes side by side with our inspirations. So ask yourself “What inspires me? Can I name it? Does it have any colors? What feelings does it evoke?” That should direct you and help you define your style.
At first, we may associate the words describing style with our subject matter, appearance or even the kind of post-process. However, what we need to realize is that photography style is us. It defines you as artists, it is all the heart and soul of what we do. It has its own personality and it is the voice of your product that speaks. Basically, naming your style should be a process of concentrating on keywords. The words should be how you see and wish to see your photography but also how you want others to see it. And as I stated before, brand is like a personality, so when thinking of the keywords, think what kind of ‘person’ your photography should be. Concentrate around feelings as feelings is what photography evokes.
Once you define it, shoot having those keywords in mind. Why? Because clients like to see consistent work, they wish to know what they can expect from you as a photographer. And most importantly, being aware of one’s own style will definitely help you to develop your brand and at the same time will help you stand out from the crowd.
A lot of great photographers do that. To show you this, we asked those fantastic world-famous wedding photography experts about their style. Here’s what they said:
[ this is not any kind of ranking, the numbers were used just to put the names in a neat order 
]
1. Huy Nguyen
“authentic, real, surprising”
2. Jasmine Star
“fun, fresh, editorial”
3. Sergio Photographer
“I do want my pictures to be not boring, strong with emotional impact. I want my work to make people feel.”
4. Ron Antonelli
“documentary, natural, spontaneous”
5. Todd Laffler
“quirky, fresh, creative”
6. Tyler Wirken
“real, risky, meaningful”
7. Samm Blake
“joy, connection, poetic”
8. Susana Barbera
“street photography, passional, artistic”
9. Matt Adcock – Del Sol Photography
“imaginative, experimental and energetic”
10. Sam Hurd
“colorful, geometric, natural”
11. Ekaterina Mukhina – Purlita Photography
“adventurous, outstanding, joyful”
12. Brian and Allison Callaway – Callaway Gable
“Emotional, sophisticated and energetic”
13. Samo Rovan
“passionate, wholehearted, honest”
14. Simon Prosenc & Dobran Laznik – Aperturia
“photojournalistic, aesthetic, illustrative”
15. Matt & Angie Sloan – Sloan Photographers
“fun, warm, romance”
16. Yannic Schon – Paul Liebt Paula
“natural, emotional and timeless”
17. Jonathan and Rebecca Adkisson – Tamiz Photography
“romantic, captivating, joyous”
18. Dennis Berti
“documentary, real, spontaneous”
19. Łukasz Bąk – Velvet Studio
“narrative, bold, poetic”
20. Claire Morgan
“story-telling, emotional, ethereal”
21. Paco and Betty
“fun, modern, vibrant”
22. Kyle Hepp
“raw, spontaneous, connected”
23. Oscar Setiawan
“playful, bold, experiential”
24. Jan Plachy
“story telling, candid, human touch”
25. Pablo Lopez Ortiz
“natural, emotional and creative”
26. Tim Forbes
“simple, endearing, quiet”
27. Jim Garner
“storytelling, experimental, expression filled, art delivery”
28. Ed Pingol
“dramatic, vibrant, scenic”
29. Gene Higa
“contemporary elegance with an edge”
30. Ron Storer
“loving, different, real”
So now it’s high time you got down to your own brainstorming! Don’t forget to share your keywords with us!
31. Braja Mandala
“grand, timeless, culture”
brajamandala.com
Thanks a very nice read….
love the comments from my photographer friends and others whose work i admire. i’ll be glad when i read an article of this type and there is at least one african american photographer mentioned or quoted.
HEY! What a nice surprise. Thanks so much for including me in this line up of superstar photographers. Humbled!
BTW, huge fan of Travis Broxton! His photography makes me smile. If you have the honor of meeting or hiring him, you’ll be a fan too.
there is so many great wedding photographers out there to follow!
[…] For inspiration on short and sweet descriptions from photographers check out this list: How 31 prominent photographers define their style. […]
I am a huge fan of Paul lieb Paula. Love them soooo much. They are sooo inspiring. <3