The long version . . .
I had been concerned for a while that my photography does not seem to have a ’style’ of its own. Whereas I could often notice other photographers' work by a certain element, maybe the subject or the post-processing style, my images all seem disparate. Different subjects photographed in different ways with slightly different approaches to processing.
Lately, however, I have realised that my aim should not be to create a style in my head and then carry out the steps needed to produce it, as all I would be doing is essentially mimicking my own idea of what I think my style should be. Instead by simply shooting what catches my eye and producing an honest image which captures the subject's essence, I hopefully create a truer and longer-lasting piece of art. This is probably the only real way to find my unique voice in photography.
Related to style is one of the beauties of digital photography - the ability to use different shapes of frame and aspect ratios. I feel at liberty to choose different formats for whatever I feel the scene requires and I may even change my mind at the processing stage. This being said I do have a fondness for the vertical 4:5, which has a traditional feel for classic landscape scenes, as well square format and 2:1 panoramas.
When I begin to photograph a subject or scene I like to think as though I’m exposing individual sheets of film. By doing this I find I pay more attention to each image and seek to perfect the composition as far as possible. If I imagine that I might waste film by not maximising my chance then I pay the scene the respect it deserves.
Jon