Developing a style

This was taken at Fountains Abbey, Yorkshire. It's a place that is, as you would imagine, regularly snapped, so how do you go about finding an individual and personalised approach?

Sometimes it's a matter of practice and others may recognise your 'style' before you do, as you gravitate towards your preferences in composition, subject, lighting or colour.

Other times it might need a conscious effort to dispassionately introspect the way you work and your images and choose a direction of growth. Sometimes it is a mirror of your personailty and/or lifestyle.

I always like to try and find new subjects and different approaches but it took others to point out to me that my biggest focus is abstracts and patterns. I was surprised a little but could see they were right. So although I now 'recognise' I enjoy those, I'm trying not to be a lazy photographer, as I've tried more landscape work with the brilliant Six Go Mad group and tried challenging myself more with other things.

I'm still naff at portraits and need a lot of improvement in wildlife shots but at least I'm on the starting block and will keep trying to improve.

The moment I stop being self critical and searching to improve is the day I might as well pack up this hobby I love.