The virtues and folly of copycat photography

[See original at http://esfotoclix.com/blog1/?p=741]

I see a cool photograph in a magazine and get ideas on how I can get that image. Next time I’m out in a similar locale, I try and try, and if I’m really diligent — or lucky — I manage to capture an image just like the one I saw in the magazine. What have I just done? Well, I snagged the image, and now I have it as a trophy. I have also engaged in copycat photography.

Before I go on to the main point of this article, let’s admit that it is a good idea, while learning photography to admire, assess and even imitate the work of more talented and/or skilled photographers. By admiring their photographs, we will grow our own love for photography. In assessing their work, we will gain useful insight into why a photograph works and how to do likewise with our own. And through imitation, we will gain the practical hands-on experience on what it takes to capture such an image.

Once you’ve done this, though, you ought to ask yourself: from this point on, do I want my photographs to look just like fill-the-blank’s, or do I want my photographs to stand on their own? Do I want to be like someone else, or do I want to exert my own vision and develop a unique style? Answer these questions in such a way that you avoid copycatting, and that’s when things get hard.

It’s much easier to compose like everyone else, or crank out the images others have come to expect. It’s easy to shoot a long exposure and blur a waterfall into a dreamy foam. Far more difficult is to see the world differently and cause others to share your special window into that same world. This takes thought and consideration, perhaps even a little meditation. It might even force you to ask questions first then press the shutter.

What questions should you ask? That’s a good question, and I’m not sure I even know what to ask myself. For starters, how about, what am I trying to accomplish in this photograph? Or what is unusual or special about the scene before me and what should I do to capture it to its full potential? Or what emotion am I feeling right now, and how can I help others share it with me? I know, really vague stuff, but the stuff powerful imagery is made of.

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The Rule of Thirds is meant to be broken, but only 1/3
of the time.



D80/D90 gallery: http://esfotoclix.com
Photo blog: http://esfotoclix.com/blog1

Picasso is quite correct - in fact, he stole this line from someone else! Recreating a work created by another requires ... well, it requires real work! First to figure out how the original artist accomplished the feat, then in setting up a similar shot that achieves the same effect. As you point out, if nothing else, it's an excellent way to hone your skills.

Coming up with something original is a huge undertaking ... and risk. It's quite likely that your "original idea" has been done before. The trick is coming up with something that you (and hopefully other people) like.

Having a new idea is but one component of success. Taking that idea and turning into something people want is the real key. If you see an interesting photographic technique that you can use to sell your images (and I don't necessarily mean for money), use it!
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http://jezsik.blogspot.com/

From reading your post I remember the famous line of our school director during my high school days. She said " Always find a piece of gold in everything you read and value it more than a treasure."

One way to improve our work is to read, explore and learn. Thanks.

You can apply that argument to anything.. thats why we have countless lawyers in the US. If you don't copy or use techniques you acquire from other sources you can't come-up with new or different ideas of your own.

Just as an example I am an engineer and at work we use other peoples ideas as building blocks to design new products. If you could only use an idea once you things would never improve.

I agree 100% that it is a good idea to try and re-create pictures that other people take, not just to say you did it but to understand what it took to take the picture. That way you can apply the techniques to future work.

kkaufman11 said:

You can apply that argument to anything.. thats why we have countless lawyers in the US. If you don't copy or use techniques you acquire from other sources you can't come-up with new or different ideas of your own.

Just as an example I am an engineer and at work we use other peoples ideas as building blocks to design new products. If you could only use an idea once you things would never improve.

Click to expand...

Engineer to engineer: break-throughs seldom come this way. I'm not talking about the small incremental improvement type of engineering that goes on much of the time, which is fine, but I'm talking about the sort of thing that gets people the Nobel prize and transforms society (fiber optics and CCDs, of all things!). If you want your photography to stand out, it's okay to look and use concepts others have employed, but the key will always be whether you see the world differently and are able to get others to share in that vision.

kkaufman11 said:

I agree 100% that it is a good idea to try and re-create pictures that other people take, not just to say you did it but to understand what it took to take the picture. That way you can apply the techniques to future work.

Click to expand...

Agreed. Then put it in second gear.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Rule of Thirds is meant to be broken, but only 1/3
of the time.



D80/D90 gallery: http://esfotoclix.com
Photo blog: http://esfotoclix.com/blog1

The reality of any discipline-artistic or otherwise-is that we learn from copying or emulating the works of others who have beens successful at their craft. From there, it's up to the individual to develop his own style. No one is totally original. We all include elements of works we admire, even if it's an a subconcious level.

What dismays me a bit when it comes to current attitudes is how little attention many digital age photographers seem to give to past masters and masterpieces. Along with this seems to be a dreadful ignorance of some basic techniques, concepts and terminology make for better, more consistent photos.

Some hosts have had to deal with people so twisting terms used in their challenges as to appear utterly obtuse to those who knew what the hosts meant. Perhaps if such people took the time to examine and copy/emulate the works of past and current masters, they would be less inclined to try to come up with their own definitions for commonly accepted terms. This is one of the great values of copying the works of others: truly understanding how things work to accomplish a goal.

A few months ago I did a "personal assignment" which was an homage to Edward Weston. I set up lighting similar to that used in his famous photos of peppers, and did what I could to recreate the effect. I'd been able to recreate the effect years ago in a good studio using film, but I wanted to test my chops with digital and a limited lighting set up. I learned a great deal (one thing I learned is that I'm no Edward Weston! LOL)

The question is a good one: how often do people stay fixated on copying the styles of others?

An answer, at least as far as the risks jezsik mentions is concerned, can be found in the dpr challenge voting. Often, the top ranked photos have played it "sare" by sticking to an accepted style of presenting the theme. Those who try to be too innovative with entries run the risk of being rejected because they are outside of the voters' expectations. That's the potential price of trying to be unique. Even if your personal style is successful in its own right, others may not recognize that success.

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Some people operate cameras. Others use them to create images. There is a difference.

http://sarob-w.deviantart.com/

I agree with your comment about incremental improvement vs ground breaking changes.

But to get a Nobel Prize don't you just have to say your going to do something and not actually do anything...

kkaufman11 said:

I agree with your comment about incremental improvement vs ground breaking changes.

But to get a Nobel Prize don't you just have to say your going to do something and not actually do anything...

Click to expand...

Hmm. You wouldn't be talking about a certain American president who just got the Nobel peace prize without so much as a single Camp David peace accord under his belt, would you?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Rule of Thirds is meant to be broken, but only 1/3
of the time.



D80/D90 gallery: http://esfotoclix.com
Photo blog: http://esfotoclix.com/blog1