Each of us is an individual and we each have our own style whether we think we do or not. Just be yourself and don't let others encourage you to falsify what you do.
W
You are right, if you mean beware of
changing what you do naturally.
When I was young, I must have looked at thousands of different mags and shooters, and knew instinctively those I'd like to see again and those that held no interest.
From all of that, though not by attempting the virtually impossible - copying another's image/style, I mean - I found myself, by natural evolution, doing things in a certain way that I was totally unable to change: I was being myself - who else
could I possibly be? Yes of course, one might ape Sarah Moon, but to do it convincingly, one would have to use the same little hats, the same makeup artist that she used at whichever period if her life one wanted to cheat. And even then, when trying to impress another shooter familiar with her oeuvre, I suspect that one would have to copy an actual photograph before the rip-off became apparent.
I think a photographer’s identity shines out through a whole: it’s a holistic element; you can’t do it in bits.
Rob C