Photography is a creative art form but lately I have become increasingly saddened by the duplication and lack of imagination present in modern landscape photography. Some of this is intentional and some not, but capturing images that have been done before seems to me to be largely pointless.
There is very little that is accessible that hasn’t been photographed in this world and there is nothing wrong with standing in the place others have before and pointing your camera in a similar direction. However, it is my belief that as photographers we should always try to do something new.
As I write this I am planning a trip to A’Mhaighdean, a remote Munro in Scotland’s “Great Wilderness”. I’ve picked the location because its hard to get to and subsequently is little photographed in comparison to, for example, An Teallach. Yet I am going in the full knowledge of the view that will present itself to me. More than that I have a very good idea of how I will photograph the view and make the most of the conditions. I probably won’t be breaking new ground (though I will try) and so in many ways I risk falling into the ‘copycat’ trap. The image below is the ‘classic’ view from A Mhaighdean and its one I will surely photograph.
Doing something new is important to me, if I see a creative opportunity I will take it. As a result, although many of my images have been photographed before (and since!) there are many more that are new in one way or another. I try to supplement visits to famous viewpoints with investigation of less established scenes, something that is noticeably absent from the work of certain others.
At this point it probably sounds like I’m blowing my own trumpet, but I work hard to be recognised as an individual and it surprises me to see so many photographers relentlessly repeating the work of others. This is painstakingly true in American landscape photography. Despite the quite ridiculous diversity of their landscape I see numerous honey pots shot from the same spot and in the same way. There are photographers with galleries on 500px where I can go through 90% of the gallery and know exactly where the locations are without ever having visited them! Even worse are the people duplicating the style of Marc Adamus. What is that all about!? Why copy his processing when you can break new ground and develop a portfolio of your own?
One more thing….a 10 stop filter does not make up for poor composition! If you want unstructured ‘minimal’ images then sure, go nuts. Otherwise I suggest that you put that filter back in the bag and realise that it has its time and place (*always* and *at the coast* are not the time and place I am referring to!). Composition has to come first.
Anyway that’s the ranting over. Many of your who know me know that this is nothing new so sorry to be so negative! In an attempt to end this blog on a happy note I would like to draw your attention to some genuinely creative work from a friend of mine, Guy Richardson, who is coming with me to Scotland. You can check his work out here: Guy Richardson’s Photography
A dry stone wall near Crow Tor (c) Guy Richardson
Tavy Cleave, a location I have photographed many times, but I never thought of this.
14 Comments
You do raise some good points. Unfortunately this situation will only get worse as more and more people pick up cameras.
As you said, there is nothing wrong with taking a picture of a well photographed spot, as long as you try to capture a different view point. After all, no single scene is exactly same at two different times, so how difficult can it be to focus on a different aspect at different time, rather than force a composition (just to copy a previous masterpiece)?
But I think we are all subconsciously influenced when we see a picture and sometimes fall into a trap of copying it without even noticing…
I absolutely agree with you on 10 stop filter… it’s not a miracle tool that will fix a poor picture… and I can say the same for unnecessary b&w conversions, and hdr
so true, totally agree
I do agree with your basic point but would make these observations from my own experience for the sake of discussion. 1) Not all photographers have trawled endless websites and galleries. I certainly try to avoid seeing too much of other people’s work, though viewing the odd Flickr gallery or website can give ideas of a location without necessarily wanting to mimic a composition. 2) I am quite new to photography and will sometimes make a similar shot to one I have seen to learn how such a shot was possible. Often these will never see the light of day, especially if it is very close to what I have already seen. 3) Commonly shot locations are visited for a reason. They are often beautiful! 4) Copying others is human nature. We all want to be respected and part of a group and believe that conforming to the ideology of the group will win us acceptance. 5) Some photographers seem to produce work they think others might like rather than what they feel is pushing their own imagination and ability. Particularly commercial and professional photographers. 6) To improve, you have to make mistakes, take risks and sometimes say unpopular things. I have found that people on Flickr are really not interested in constructive criticism to improve their photography, even if it is only a personal opinion. How much ‘healthy discussion’ do you see on Flickr compared to the endless backslapping?!
Just a few ideas to get the discussion going. What do others think?
Not everybody has the time or money to go galavanting off to far flung corners of the UK in search of a photograph, but have to make do with what is on their doorstep, even if that means taking another cliche image of Hound Tor or the clapper bridge at Postbridge etc etc. These images already feature heavily in many south west pro-photographers galleries.
Many of us who do dabble with landscape photography have no qualifications from an art/design uni/college background and so don’t quite have the artistic eye/flare/get-go of the photographers that have. So if I decide to line up another ‘oft-photographed’ image of Staple Tor, so what!!! It’s ME i’m trying to please and not a hankering public/client.
And I don’t buy-in to the this quote that gets bandied around of locations that are ‘over-photographed’. It hasn’t been over-photographed if I haven’t done it!!
Whilst I agree roughly with what you say it kind of misses the point. Its not visiting well known locations thats the issue. Its when people go with the full intention of replicating an image that they like. I do see it a lot and I don’t see the point. I’m not having a go at people with family lives who can only get out the door an evening a week!
BTW I don’t know a single landscape photographer who does have any photography related qualifications other than those gained subsequent to learning photography.
I think you have to find the right balance. My work is mainly in the Peak District, quite a small national park really and I can’t resist visiting the classic locations, but every time I do I try and get my own take on it. I’d like to think anyone looking at one of my images can recognise it as one of my own. Being only 24, I like to think that hopefully it gives me a different perspective on the world.
All that said, I also try and visit the less well known locations as much as possible. I find it gratifying when I come back with an image from somewhere that people think isn’t good photographically.
In the Peaks the dark peak is much more photographed than the white, so at least until the heather season comes I’m trying to stick to the white peak and get photos of places people don’t usually head to.
Finally, I find it strange your heading to get a unique image but going with a fellow photographer. I have a friend who in fairness has probably learnt most of what he knows from me and now when we go out we find it difficult to take completely different shots. He looks for the same light I do, the same compsotion etc. I hope you and Guy can separate each other.
Finally, your work is very good Definitely someone to look out for I think.
I agree with what you say James. As I hope I made clear its not possible to take unique images all the time, it’s more about intent/desire. Intentional repetition of existing images is going to make for quite a ordinary portfolio but using it for reference or inspiration is a different matter. For what it’s worth I dont recognise many of the locations of the Peak district in you portfolio and thats clearly because you arent copying the work of others
Going wild camping in the middle of nowhere with someone else adds a degree of safety and adds to the enjoyment. It also significantly reduces the £200 spent on petrol! Guy and I have come back with some similar shots, but mostly different ones. The main point is that we were doing our own thing, just in more or less the same place at the same time.
Hi Alex
I haven’t called in for a while because I have been very busy revisiting the same locations on Dartmoor with workshop photographers.
Every photographer that I have taken onto the moor has come back fired up and enthusiastic. They have not visited any of the locations before so they are all new to them which is exactly the point. It does not matter who and how many have been there before.
I have so many photographers from all over the country wanting to photograph the Moor with me I am now looking into Autumn for available dates. The reason for this is my attitude. I am always singing the praises of our wonderful county and the photographic opportunities it offers.
I agree with Mark above.
Very few photogs have the time or money to visit the undiscovered pearls. Devon is varied and fantastic and I am sure you will agree that the single most important factor in a landscape shot is not the composition or location but the LIGHT! The same location can look totally different at various times of day or year.
Enjoy your trip to timbuctoo, I will continue to inspire lots of photogs nearer to home….
Adrian
Gosh whatever did I do to upset you Adrian!
It’s clear that you have barely read the article because if you had you would have picked up on comments like “saddened by the duplication and lack of imagination” and
“there is nothing wrong with standing in the place others have before and pointing your camera in a similar direction. However, it is my belief that as photographers we should always try to do something new.”
I, like you will be returning to Dartmoor to capture images that have been done before. It is inevitable. There is nothing wrong in that. It’s all about intent. If all people want to do is duplicate existing photographs then they can hardly claim to be creative and how can a group of copycats be artists? I suspect that with you busy professional life (well done on all the workshops BTW) you have little time to explore the work of others. What spurred the creation of this article was a visit to 500px to see a load of American photographers whose work had become indistinguishable despite a varied and dramatic landscape. So please don’t assume I am taking a dig at you, or indeed anyone else in particular. I understand the realities of photography and workshops. For what it’s worth I also sing the praises of Dartmoor whether on workshops or not. It will always be my home and I have a great love for it.
Alex
Hi Alex,
I agree in part with you. For me the main point it’s not “originality” as it’s almost impossible to make something truly “original”. A picture needs first of all to communicate the essence of the landscape you’ve experienced. It doesn’t really matter if the scenery has been already captured. It’s all about our personal approach and view.
Kind Regards and good luck for your next trip,
Fortunato
Whilst I agree with your valid points can I raise a point? What happens when you take a photograph not having seen a location/website etc and then find that a “famous” photographer takes more or less the same shot AFTER you and people accuse you of copying? I visited rannoch Moor back in the early 1990s (long before I had access to the internet!) and took a photograph of a glacial rock with a small sapling struggling to grow from it. The backdrop to the rock was the Blackmount range and I took it on 5×4 and cropped to a panoramic. Lo and behold a few years later I see an image from Colin Prior of exactly the same view – obviously a better image than mine! People then accused me of copying his shot… even though my negative files showed the date I took the photo!
It’s the intent that I think it is important. If you intend purely to copy someone else’s shot or in some way replicate it, without bringing something new to the table then it could hardly be called artistry. This article really refers to the people who solely set out to photograph honeypot locations in the same tried and tested way.
Have to say I agree with some of your comments Alex.
When ever I look up a location I do a search of what others have shot and also, just to see what the potential of the location is.
The first few minutes are spent scrutinising the images to discover the viewpoints etc and how or if I could possibly better them and how to put my own spin on it.
90% of the time i want to try and find a viewpoint that others haven’t seen.
There are times an image can be very similar to another photographers purely because the previous photographer had found the best most photogenic view point.
I dont pretend to be an expert and have so much to learn, which with a family does slow things down, but I would like to think I do try my best not to copy other photographers work if I can help it.
If I do, I tend to feel I have cheated myself and not really learnt anything or achieved what I set out to do, which is be individual and allays improve.
I do believe each photographer has there own agenda and what they want to achieve from their photography, whether that is producing an individual image of their own or copying another photographers image just to learn, progress there own style etc.
I for one find your work inspiring and it always helps me kick start me when Im in a tired lul.
Keep up the good work and making me jelous of your trips lol !!!
Dan
I love the reference to long exposure shore shots! Sick of seeing so many overprocessed 10-stop filter images that don’t actually have anything going on in them! I agree about the need to do something original and avoid repeating what other people do. It’s something I’m trying to constantly avoid myself. But each to his own. It may make someone perfectly happy to head out and get an image like they’ve seen a pro make. Thanks for getting out and showing us a different view!