Copying is a Technical Exercise

I recently came across an article by a filmmaker who said that he deliberately avoids studying the styles of famous directors. His reasoning was simple: if he spends too much time analyzing their work, he risks losing his own personal style.

I understand where he is coming from. There is always a danger in becoming so attached to someone else’s work that you end up becoming a replica rather than an original voice.

However, I also believe that for artists who are just starting out, copying can be an important technical exercise.

When we begin our creative journey, we often have ideas that are bigger than our current abilities. We may have a vision in our minds, but we lack the technical skills to bring that vision to life. This is where copying becomes valuable.

A photographer might recreate a portrait by a master photographer. A filmmaker might attempt to reproduce a scene from a favorite movie. A painter may study and recreate a classic painting. The goal is not to steal the work or claim it as our own. The goal is to understand how it was made.

By copying, we learn.

We learn how light was shaped. We learn how composition guides the eye. We learn how color affects mood. We learn how timing, perspective, and technical choices contribute to the final result.

In many ways, copying is similar to practicing scales on a piano. Nobody expects a music student to compose a symphony on the first day. They begin by playing the works of others. Through repetition, they develop the technical foundation needed to eventually create their own music.

Photography is no different.

When students begin to learn portrait photography, many of them are eager to develop their own style immediately. But style is often the result of experience rather than the starting point. Before we can express ourselves effectively, we need the technical vocabulary to do so.

This is one reason why a good portrait photography course focuses not only on creativity but also on mastering technical skills. Understanding lighting, posing, composition, and visual storytelling gives photographers the tools they need to turn ideas into images.

Copying also exposes us to creative possibilities we may never have discovered on our own.

Every artist lives within certain creative boundaries shaped by their experiences, preferences, and habits. By studying and recreating the work of others, we temporarily step into different creative worlds. We learn new approaches to lighting, storytelling, posing, composition, and visual communication.

For those who want to learn portrait photography, this process can be incredibly valuable. Recreating images from photographers you admire can reveal techniques and solutions that would otherwise take years to discover through trial and error.

Sometimes these discoveries become part of our artistic toolbox. Other times they simply expand our understanding of what is possible.

Either way, we grow.

What many artists fail to realize is that style is not fixed.

People often speak about style as if it were a destination. Once found, it supposedly remains unchanged forever. In reality, artistic style is constantly evolving.

The photographer who loved dramatic black-and-white portraits ten years ago may now be drawn to softer and more colorful imagery. The filmmaker known for one visual approach may later explore entirely different themes and techniques.

Artists change because people change.

Our experiences, relationships, successes, failures, travels, and personal growth inevitably influence the way we see the world. As our perspective evolves, so does our creative voice.

This is why I believe that studying and even copying the work of others should not be feared. If approached with the right mindset, it becomes a learning tool rather than a creative crutch.

Copying teaches technique.

Experience develops judgment.

Reflection creates meaning.

And somewhere along that journey, a personal style begins to emerge—not because we avoided the influence of others, but because we learned from many influences and eventually transformed them into something uniquely our own.

Whether you are just beginning to learn portrait photography or have been creating images for years, studying the work of great artists remains one of the most effective ways to improve your craft. The key is not to remain a copy of someone else, but to use what you learn as a foundation for your own creative growth.

The goal is not to copy forever.

The goal is to copy long enough to understand, and then create something that only you can make.

Keep on shooting everyone!