So style...we've all got it. And the scary thing is that we're developing it whether or not we do anything about it. Where do we get it? Growing up? Things we like? Things we pick up along the way in this crazy life? All of the above. Style is tough to define for each person...it's like a face, we all have them but nobody's is the same. Different lines around the eyes, quirky noses, cocked smiles all set us apart even though we posess the same anatomy.

We'll talk about my style briefly...where it came from, where it's at and where it's going. As artists, we all "paint on the same canvas" but it's our style that differentiates the final work of art at the end of the day. Where do I get my inspiration? Is it flippin' through a fashion magazine? Thumbing through a Banana Republic marketing piece? Pouring over the album art of my favorite NuGrass artist (and the best mandolin player in the country)? Admiring camera angles & composition during a movie? Other photographers? Casual banter during late night musings with close friends that often know you better than yourself? It's actually all of these and WAY more. It's my whole life-how I see the world.

Tip #12: Find your signature style and then develop it, define it, refine it...and then pre-viz your signature style(s) for an image before you ever click the shutter.

Growing up in the corporation generation where everything is branded, it's important, as a photographer, to own a signature style that unabashedly says "this is me" to those it's engaging without words ever being exchanged... Art speaks louder than words.

This is me...my signature looks:

Fred Egan SuperCineColor:

Fred Egan '70's So Cal:

Fred Egan BlackWhite:

Fred Egan E-6 XXX:

Oh-and enjoy my world of Paisley ;)