Photographers- Feeling Your Work Isn’t Consistent? I Know Why…
It took me YEARS to figure out my ‘style’ (I still kind of flit about here and there at times, I like to experiment) so I know the frustration of seeing other photographers producing work after work that is consistent, fits together beautifully and really showcases their talent.
I think it is important to be able to recognise an artist’s work (some of the best comments I’ve received from people are when they say something along the lines of ‘I knew this was one of your images’ or ‘I recognised your work immediately’) however the thought that somebody’s work may be being limited or constrained by the need for it to match previous works upsets me- please do not limit yourself or your work, this is how we grow as creatives.
So… My top tips for consistency are:
Styling
If your subjects are wearing similarly toned colours throughout your portfolio, this instantly pulls all of the images together. Not necessarily the SAME tones though, how boring would that be? I tend to stick to neutrals ranging through to warm browns and dark green- clothes that compliment their skin and hair tones ideally.
Light
I have favourite light to shoot in- it may be boring and predictable but for me, golden hour is always my favourite. It takes my breath away every shoot and means that my images have a similar golden glow, warm tones and striking sunsets to work with. I shoot into the sun a lot because I love the backlighting haze and with the sun to one side so it gives a split lighting effect. Shadows are my friend and I’ve been told that I am brave with my images- I play with harsh light on occasion just to mix things up.
Locations
I’ve thrown this in here but actually I don’t think it is one that is too important. Obviously if all of your images are studio based then there will be consistency, not only in the backdrops/background but also in the lighting. It is however very restricting which is something I don’t want anybody to feel (and is one of the reasons that I came away from studio based work).
Editing
The most obvious. If you’re editing using the same presets/base tones then instantly your work will tie in nicely together. One thing to watch for is the white balance which can drastically change the tones of an image. If you like high clarity images then keep it consistent, if you like your greens to be desaturated then make sure they are all a similar level of saturation.
The colours that make the most difference to consistency are your greens, oranges (and a knock on effect from oranges are yellows and reds- think skin tones) and blues. Try to keep these tones similar and everything should match nicely.
Above: Three very different shots, all with similar tones that tie them in together.
