Photograph What You Can’t Ignore

There’s a question I think every photographer eventually has to answer:

What do you photograph when nobody is asking you to photograph anything?

Not the assignment.

Not the client brief.

Not the photograph you think will perform well.

Not even the photograph you think you should be making.

What keeps pulling your attention when there is no obligation to make an image at all?

I think the answer to that question can tell you a lot about your photographic voice.

Pay Attention to What Pulls You Back

When I’m working, much of my photography is centered around fashion and portraiture.

But when I’m simply walking around with a camera, I often find myself photographing architecture.

Buildings as a whole.

Details within them.

A particular color.

The way materials interact.

Lines and shapes.

Geometry.

The way a building looks at a certain time of day.

None of these things are particularly complicated.

That's partly what I like about them.

I don't need a dramatic subject to become interested in a photograph.

Sometimes a building catches my attention because of a pattern in its facade.

Sometimes it's the relationship between two colors.

Sometimes it's a texture that looks completely different when the light hits it from a particular angle.

Those are the things I can't seem to ignore.

And I've learned to pay attention to that.

Your Interests Leave Clues

I don't think our creative interests are random.

If you repeatedly find yourself photographing the same kinds of things, there is probably something worth examining.

Maybe you are drawn to faces.

Maybe it's landscape.

Maybe it's fashion.

Maybe it's shadows.

Maybe it's abandoned buildings.

Maybe it's ordinary objects photographed in extraordinary light.

Whatever it is, don't dismiss those instincts simply because they don't seem important enough.

They may be telling you something about the way you see.

Your visual voice often appears in these small attractions long before you consciously understand what they mean.

Photograph the Detail Everyone Else Walks Past

One of the things I enjoy most about photography is finding beauty in overlooked details.

A building doesn't have to be photographed as an architectural landmark.

Sometimes the photograph is the corner.

The window.

The texture.

The shadow.

The faded paint.

The way two surfaces meet.

The detail that most people would never think to photograph may be the thing that makes the image interesting.

This is one of the reasons I don't think photographic vision is necessarily about seeing more.

Sometimes it's about seeing smaller.

Looking closely enough to notice what was already there.

Don't Photograph What You Think a Photographer Should Photograph

This is where I think developing your own voice becomes difficult.

We're surrounded by examples of what photography is supposed to look like.

There are recognizable styles.

Popular subjects.

Familiar compositions.

Trends that come and go.

It's incredibly easy to start making photographs because they look like photographs we have already learned to recognize as "good."

But that's not necessarily the same thing as making photographs that feel like you.

If you find yourself photographing something that nobody else seems particularly interested in, don't assume that means you shouldn't photograph it.

It might mean you've found something worth exploring.

Curiosity Is a Better Guide Than Strategy

There is a temptation, especially when photography becomes a business, to make every photograph serve a purpose.

Does it belong in the portfolio?

Will it attract a client?

Does it fit the brand?

Will people understand it?

Those questions have their place.

But they can become limiting if they are the only questions we ask.

Sometimes it's worth making a photograph simply because you're curious.

What happens if the light changes?

What does that texture look like up close?

What happens if I move three feet to the left?

Why does this particular building catch my attention?

Curiosity keeps photography alive.

Your Eye Has a Pattern

Over time, I think most photographers begin to notice recurring patterns in what they photograph.

The things we return to.

The things we notice first.

The things we can't quite explain, but keep photographing anyway.

For me, those patterns have become clearer over the years.

I keep returning to light.

Texture.

Shape.

Presence.

Architecture.

People.

Details.

There is a visual language hiding in that list.

I didn't sit down and design it.

I discovered it by paying attention to where my eye naturally went.

Photograph What You Can't Ignore

Maybe that's one of the simplest ways to begin developing your own photographic voice.

Stop asking what you should photograph for a moment.

Ask what you can't ignore.

What makes you stop walking?

What makes you turn around?

What makes you reach for your camera even when there isn't a practical reason to do so?

Those moments matter.

They are evidence of your curiosity.

And curiosity is often where a photographer's voice begins.

Final Thoughts

I don't think finding your photographic voice requires inventing something completely original.

I think it requires becoming more honest about what already holds your attention.

Photograph the things that keep pulling you back.

The light you keep noticing.

The textures you keep seeing.

The faces you can't forget.

The buildings you walk past and then turn around to photograph.

The details everyone else seems to overlook.

Don't worry too much about whether they make sense to anyone else.

Your job isn't to photograph what everyone else has decided is interesting.

Your job is to discover what is interesting to you.

Because eventually, if you follow those instincts long enough, a pattern begins to emerge.

And that pattern may be your voice.