Instead of trying to find our styles, it’s best to make an effort to become ourselves visually.
 

We’re already ourselves.

No one thinks like us.
 

No one interprets what they see like us.
 

We have unique minds, and that makes us unique photographers.

And yet we feel we have to find our style, even though we already have it.
 

There’s two issues we have to overcome in order to express ourselves uniquely through our photography.
 

The first issue is learning to operate our camera effectively so we could express ourselves fully.
 

The best way to do that is to learn to work our camera in manual exposure mode so we have control over every aspect of composition in terms of camera operation.
 

It also helps to understand how the light we’re seeing affects us, especially when it initiates the impulse to make a photograph, because when we realize how it affects us, we’ll know how to operate our camera to get the composition we want that communicates what we wanna express.
 

The second thing we have to do is ditch any rules of composition, because they limit us and homogenize our work.

In other words, the rules of composition make our work look similar to that of other photographers who use them, which is in direct opposition to what we want to accomplish in terms of unique expression.

We’ve gotta relentlessly do the work to express ourselves uniquely.
 

As photographers, we first have to figure out who we are, what we stand for, and what people expect.
 

Then we get a chance to be more like that.

And that’s what I’ll encourage you to do when you participate in the Photography Basics/Introduction To Photography class, or take that class as a series of Private Lessons, or by working with me in any of the classes that I offer.

About Sam

Sam D'Amico, a professional photographer and photography instructor, helps anyone who wants to be a better photographer. 

He'll work with his students to increase their understanding of camera operation, composition, light, and lighting. 

Sam started working as a professional photographer in the mid-1980s.

Most notably, from 1992 to 1997, while working as a freelance photographer, he photographed over 500 assignments for the New York Times.

Additionally, Sam received awards for his work while exhibiting his photographs in shows. 

Sam began teaching photography professionally in 1998 through the Highland Park, N.J. recreation department. 

In 2002 Sam moved to Washington, D.C., and began teaching at the accredited Washington School of Photography in Bethesda, Md.

It was in 2003 that Sam developed his curriculum and started teaching classes in Washington, D.C. 

In 2018 and 2022, the Sam D'Amico Photography Classes were voted the "Best of DC" art class by the readers of the Washington City Paper. 

Many photography teachers spend a lot of time teaching about DSLRs and rules of composition that create homogenized, rigid photographs.

On the other hand, Sam teaches about camera operation, thought process, and the individual photographer's visual communication intent. 

This approach to teaching allows his students to use ANY camera (yes, even the camera on their phone) and break free of the rules of composition.

Approaching the creative process this way allows for fluid and spontaneous photographs unique to the photographer creating them.

Sam encourages his students to find their ways as photographers. 

He instills the skills in his students that result in creative, engaging, and unique compositions that reflect the photographer's intended one-of-a-kind visual expression.