Finding Your Voice as a Photographer by Justina Reinhart

Your voice as a Photographer is a reflection of your life experiences and how those experiences have shaped the ways in which you see the world. For a time, I struggled with my photographic voice. Even though I had honed in on a visual language that felt true to me as an artist, I felt that what I had to say wasn’t “important” enough. I wasn’t making grand political statements with my work: fighting status quos and challenging ideas. As I began to produce more work that came from a desire to create based on what I was feeling inside, I noticed that more of my audience became engaged in this world I was creating for my work to reside in. Over time, I came to the conclusion that the images that you create do not need to be world changing to still make an impact. I think if your work makes your viewer stop and feel, you’re doing something right. When I realized that my take on horses, though individual to me, resonated with a larger group of people based on the universal feelings we encounter with these animals, I felt like my voice suddenly mattered. Like what I was saying was actually worth something.

It’s no secret that the equine photography market is saturated with artists. Creating unique work it not only paramount to standing out as a photographer, but it will also help your audience connect with your work (and with you as an artist) on a deeper level. Here are some tips to help you stand out at your craft - whether it’s photography, design, or painting. These tips apply to creating in any medium.

1. What Interests You?

Let’s say we take the photography (or art) aspect out of the question. What truly interests you? You don’t have to make it related to horses, but perhaps there’s something that grabs your attention that you can seek inspiration from. Maybe you’re into mountain biking and you like the ruggedness and the thrill of powering down a hill. Maybe you like watercolour painting and the soft ways in which the colours blend together. Take some time to do some introspective work and put a label on these things that peek your attention, and then see how these things can lend themselves to horses.

2. Finding Inspiration

In the same vein as the previous point, seek inspiration for what interests you beyond horses. In my work, I intentionally don’t seek or expose myself to a lot of other equine photography because I don’t want it to impact my vision (whether consciously or subconsciously). I purposefully turn to other mediums to inspire me visually, looking at oil paintings, architecture, fashion, or films with visual elements I am drawn to. Keep a journal with notes to put a voice to the aspects of this inspiration that you particularly like. Be clear and try to pinpoint these elements in your notes, and look for common themes among your inspiration.

3. Expose Yourself to New Things

You can’t draw water from an empty well. Sometimes you need to shake things up to find inspiration. A change of surroundings, whether that be a vacation to experience another culture or a simple change from your usual walking route can help stir the mind as your seek inspiration. Challenging yourself and your limitations are an important part of growing as a person and teaching you a lot about yourself. These actions will in turn feed your creativity.

4. Create for Yourself

Creativity is not a talent, it’s a learned skill and a muscle that needs to be flexed often. Taking time to create for the sake of doing so is an important part of finding your unique voice as an artist. For me, sometimes this means playing around alone with my cameras, seeing what happens if I set the lights in different positions and operate the camera with different settings and lensing. Other times, it’s a more formal creative style where I am operating as my own client and we’re on set with a moodboard and a team to execute the vision. Taking time to create for your own sake teaches you about what you do and don’t like, how to create what you’re seeing in your mind, and turns the wheels in your mind for more ideas to come. Aside from the creative benefits of photographing for yourself, it also helps you build your portfolio and makes you comfortable with your gear - preparing you for situations that may arise on set with a client where knowing your gear is crucial.

5. Check in With Yourself

We are not stagnant beings and therefore how can we expect our voice to stay the same, if it’s to remain true to us? When you’re in tune with your inner voice, it will feel like a nagging compass pointing the way and we are creating and along for the ride. If things in your life are not feeling like they are serving that purpose, it is ok to move on from them. As an artist, I find its extremely beneficial to write out short and long term goals and work towards them. At the end of the day, I am operating a business and want to grow. But I think there also needs to be a middle ground -
accepting that we change, and sometimes our goals will change and that’s okay. Listening to that voice will help create a unique career in art that is both sustainable and rewarding - connecting you with yourself and your audience with your work.

Creating unique work starts with knowing yourself! It’s easy to get caught up in the technicalities - like editing styles - when you’re feeling lost as an artist. Going back to the basics can help you build a unique and individual brand that stands out a world of media.

By Justina Reinhart

https://www.justinareinhart.com/

Photos by Andree-Anne Brunet @abrunetphotos