I feel like my photography work looks too similar to famous photographers I admire. Should I switch to a completely different style or approach?

No, don’t switch. This is a common trap. When you’re starting out, your work will naturally resemble the photographers who inspired you—it’s part of the learning process. The mistake is abandoning your path every time you notice the similarity. Instead, stay committed to your chosen subject matter and approach. Keep working, keep photographing what genuinely interests you. As you continue down your path with patience and persistence, you’ll begin to see things differently. Your unique perspective will emerge naturally over time because you’ll be seeing different things and developing your own way of seeing. The photographers whose work we remember didn’t start out completely original—they started out influenced by others, but they stayed committed long enough for their own voice to develop.

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Asked by a photographer struggling with originality · Answered by Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2025-04-17