What if finding your photography style is less about finding it and more about figuring out what you actually like?

In this episode of The Focus Trap, Amy and Casey talk about photographic style, creative voice, and the pressure to somehow develop a recognizable “look.” Instead of treating style as something you choose and then stick with forever, they explore what happens when you learn by copying, experimenting, borrowing from other photographers, and slowly keeping the pieces that feel like yours.

Amy talks about learning directly from photographers whose work she admired, following their methods closely enough to understand them, and then deciding what she wanted to take home with her. From bird photography workshops to dog photography to lessons borrowed from landscape composition, her own work has evolved through what she calls the difference between karaoke and sampling: sometimes you copy something to learn how it works, but eventually you start remixing those influences into something of your own.

Casey is in the middle of that process now. She talks about being drawn to wildly different styles, getting overwhelmed by everything she'd have to learn to create them, and realizing that imitation can be a perfectly useful place to start. The harder part is learning when to stop looking for someone else's settings, presets, or answers and start making your own decisions about what you actually want a photograph to look like.

They also talk about:

• Why having taste isn't the same as having a signature style
• Why someone else's presets won't magically make your photos look like theirs
• Using inspiration photos to figure out what you like and what you don't
• How new lenses and other tools can change the way you see
• Borrowing composition ideas from completely different genres of photography
• Why knowing the Lightroom sliders isn't the same as knowing what you want them to do
• Trying things once and giving yourself permission to decide they're not for you

Along the way, there are conversations about Oxford commas, fake Photoshop blur, Alaskan salmon that Amy still doesn't like, Casey's need for external validation, and the possibility that gold stars may be required on their next photography trip.

Focus Makers VIP Membership

If you’re a working dog sports photographer, Focus Makers VIP Membership is a small support group for the parts of this job that are hard to figure out alone. Amy brings 25+ years of experience with high-volume dog sports photography, and Casey joins the conversation around burnout, boundaries, nervous system regulation, and making the business sustainable.

Through the end of 2026, accepted VIP applicants can join for the Premium price of $49/month instead of $99/month.

Apply for Focus Makers VIP: https://form.jotform.com/262586385030055

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📸 Find Amy and learn more about her photography coaching:

https://www.skool.com/focus-makers/about

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• (00:00) - S02 E08 Focus on Making it Yours
• (00:55) - Do You Need a Photography Style?
• (06:01) - Karaoke vs. Sampling
• (12:17) - Figuring Out What You Actually Like
• (17:15) - Borrowing From Other Kinds of Photography
• (22:47) - The Sliders Won’t Find the Story for You
• (34:16) - When Karaoke Feels Safer