If you’ve seen a Hollywood film these days you’ll know that a truly original film is tough to come by. Remakes, sequels, reboots, TV programs made into movies, etc. are the safe plays for movie studios. The most original and daring films come from artists bootstrapping their films and taking them to independent film circuits. The underlying component to this dynamic is of course risk, who shoulders the risk and what is the cost of failure.
In a similar fashion the more I travel the more I see photographers clustered together aiming their sights on the lower risk shot. The shot that people are already familiar with and/or the shot that likely takes less effort to get. This of course is a generality, but it reminds me of a quote from John Lubbock:
What we see depends mainly on what we look for.
– John Lubbock
Photographers Yosemite Valley - Yosemite National Park, California
If we’re familiar with the popular work of another artist we’re very likely to be influenced by it and take comfort in it. As a result it takes some additional effort to not fall into reproducing the same photo and finding one’s own perspective. For a select few that can be accomplished with ease and for others it is an elusive task. When you free yourself of the things you know and venture into the unknown new perspectives arise. Sometimes that requires a long hike out of the way or taking the photos you know before you find the photos you want. Personally I take no shame in photographing familiar compositions. I do so in knowing that it is the first step of a longer creative process. Photographing the familiar is comforting and inspiring, but once I’ve honored those of influence I move on to explore my surroundings and look for my original photograph.
The photographer with one of the biggest shadows to step out from behind, Ansel Adams, put it well…
Millions of men have lived to fight, build palaces and boundaries, shape destinies and societies; but the compelling force of all times has been the force of originality and creation profoundly affecting the roots of human spirit.
Ansel Adams
[tags]photography, Yosemite, National Park, photographer, travel, California, stock photo[/tags]
Great post Jim. No shame in photographing the icons as part of a larger body of work. I think the photographers who deliberately avoid icons have sort of a mental block as well.
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Photographing the big scenes that have been done over and over is unfortunately often more profitable and therefore perhaps necessary to make a living. The photographers most remembered though created images unusual to their generation. It is hard to describe when someone makes a photograph that is transcendent, but it is easy to recognize. It usually only happens a few times a year to each photographer who is out there working a lot. Some old, seasoned photographers claim that seeking originality is a waste of time because it has all been done. While this may be true, newer artists need to feel they are doing something unusual like the greats who did so before them. Even Shakespeare said, “There is nothing new under the sun,” and look what he did.
Great post and good explanation about this post. thanks for sharing.
Great point David. Yet the icons we now know were once an original if not by photographer by painter. I’m of the philosophy there is always room for something new. Perhaps I’m naive, but if one stops trying to bring something new to the table landscape and nature photography would become a dull field rather quickly.
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One important thing to consider is that a photograph is at least as much about the person creating it as it is about the subject of the image. While we all do most certainly and with good reason get wrapped up in making a photograph of that thing or that place, in reality we could probably make photographs of almost any thing and communicate whatever it is we have to say photographically.
That said, I agree that is not always necessary to apologize for photographing icons. However, after a certain point, trying to photograph an icon just like so-and-so did ceases to be important, and the desire is to find a way to photograph such a subject in a manner that is ones own.
Dan
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