Developing unique photography styles

Maja Moritz

You may have your portfolio in front of you with a variety of images that you’ve captured, but you just aren’t quite sure of the direction your photography style is developing towards. Or you could be admiring work by those people who you class as your photographic inspirations, but you want to be able to have a stand-out style of your own. Sometimes all that’s needed is an outsider’s perspective of your work and a bit of guidance on how to progress.

Workshops, such as Maja Moritz’s classes, are an ideal place to start using camera techniques to develop individuality in what you’re creating. Moritz says her workshops are focused on plenty of one-on-one attention so people can discover realms beyond necessary techniques and fancy tricks and move into the magic of individual style.

“I have found that sometimes people try all sorts of approaches with their photography and still remain somehow dissatisfied, because most of what was tried mainly focused on techniques, or often aspired to what other photographers have done,” Moritz says.

Mark Humphery

The image above was captured by one of Moritz’s students, Mark Humphery. He was interested in landscape photography and used a tripod most of the time when he joined one of the workshops last year. Mark experimented with new ways of looking at things and came up with this powerful timeless image. Moritz says this image is powerful in terms of light and moment saying these elements are the two most important factors in crafting photography — they carry a strong symbolic meaning and visually induced feeling, which makes up the heart and soul of a photograph.

Moritz’s Manual Exposure 2015 workshops only accept four participants and run for four weeks in June/July for $350. During the Thursday theory classes, which run from 7–9pm, and the Saturday afternoon practice classes, Moritz takes participants through exercises involving ISO, aperture, and shutter speed — as well as combining the techniques — while also providing challenging and experimentation exercises.

With photography being a great tool to illustrate the way you personally see the world, making use of workshops is a way to unleash your photographic potential and allow you to discover your own personal style in an exciting and rewarding environment. Working with Moritz, you’ll receive guidance from an experienced international photojournalist — Moritz’s workshops can also be arranged anywhere in New Zealand upon request.

To find out more about Maja Moritz’s workshops, visit majamoritz.com.