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Individuality in Photography - Is it really?
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Sep 17, 2011 16:06:56   #
gessman Loc: Colorado
 
I've noticed over the years, in photo magazines, that when one pro finds a worthy piece of subject matter, in the ensuing months, years, all the rest of the "top" pros have beaten a path to those same spots and done their layout in a competing magazine. It's like a Wildebeest herd thing. Rick Sammons goes to Thailand and finds all the colorful clothes and buildings and the next thing, they're all over there on the back of an elephant riding through the jungle to the nearest multi-colored pagoda. These guys would be our leaders, or at least by held up to be our leaders. Is that leading? Lately, they've all been going into slot canyons in Utah and basically getting the same shots. Or it's the tigers in Bangladesh, or the Penguins in Antarctica, or wherever. Stuff that most of us will never see, let alone be able to compete with. What are your feelings about that? Should we aspire to emulate those guys and aim for the stars or what? Assume for a minute, each of you, if you could, would you do that?

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Sep 17, 2011 16:19:44   #
arphot Loc: Massachusetts
 
I wouldn't mind going to the far reaches of the (immediate) universe and photographing what some have. Even to the lowlands of urban exploration in and around previously nucleated destinations.

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Sep 17, 2011 17:18:06   #
RFranko Loc: Albuquerque, NM
 
Maybe its because they want to see if they could do better or ride on the notice me wagon. I tried that once. I went to Yosemite and tried to duplicate images Ansel Adams did. Didn't come close! I was there for a week, he spent years there. I shot about 100-200 frames he probably shot thousands. I was shooting 2-1/4x 2-3/4 roll film he shot on 8 X 10 negatives. I processed by time and temperature, he processed by safelite then intensified and bleached his negatives. It wasn't until years later that I became aware of my actual success comparatively speaking when I read an article about the late Joseph Muench where he said that he had made 160 visits to Monument Valley. Let's say he shot only 25 images with each visit. That's 4,000 images of the valley. His book I had, on Monument Vally had 20 images in it. That is 1 image for every 200 he took! I now felt good about the 1 or 2 good images of shot at Yosemite! So, don't try to follow what someone else is doing, instead do your own thing and you may see success you have created and others will try to follow.

Monument Valley
Monument Valley...

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Sep 17, 2011 17:47:17   #
gessman Loc: Colorado
 
RFranko wrote:
Maybe its because they want to see if they could do better or ride on the notice me wagon. I tried that once. I went to Yosemite and tried to duplicate images Ansel Adams did. Didn't come close! I was there for a week, he spent years there. I shot about 100-200 frames he probably shot thousands. I was shooting 2-1/4x 2-3/4 roll film he shot on 8 X 10 negatives. I processed by time and temperature, he processed by safelite then intensified and bleached his negatives. It wasn't until years later that I became aware of my actual success comparatively speaking when I read an article about the late Joseph Muench where he said that he had made 160 visits to Monument Valley. Let's say he shot only 25 images with each visit. That's 4,000 images of the valley. His book I had, on Monument Vally had 20 images in it. That is 1 image for every 200 he took! I now felt good about the 1 or 2 good images of shot at Yosemite! So, don't try to follow what someone else is doing, instead do your own thing and you may see success you have created and others will try to follow.
Maybe its because they want to see if they could d... (show quote)


Thank you for relating your experience and the astute comments. Wonderful advice. The question then becomes, "is there another Monument Valley to where I can go and of which nobody else has ever taken a picture." That's the delima - most of the really worthwhile outdoor subject matter has long since been done by outstanding photographers. I love your image you enclosed. What an outstanding job you did with that! We have a well known nature photographer/environmentalist in my region who publishes his picture books somewhat frequently. He is so strapped for unique or new subject matter that he goes out and shoots a fairly ordinary snow covered mountain shot and then cooks up a story about how many days he had to snowshoe in and the rigors of camping in a snow cave, etc., to emphasize the importance of the picture. So far it's working for him but the people here also drink a lot of beer at night. If they ever sober up...

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Sep 18, 2011 07:05:33   #
Dennis
 
A walk around the block should produce about 200 photo ops. the problem is most people don't see them because their to busy looking for the exotic locations.

As for taking the same photo someone else has taken the only way that that's possible is if you both press your shutter buttons at the exact same time. A photo is a moment time and over time things change.

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Sep 18, 2011 08:17:18   #
Kathi Loc: Pennsylvania
 
This is a great conversation! I learned early on that while I love looking at beautiful shots of the land encompassing colors and textures and lines, I'm terrible at getting them for myself. So, I never get the urge to "go and get" what others have mastered. My travel shots always center on "Faces of..." (I have collections from Provence, Brazil, Mexico, Kenya and several US locations). I love zooming in to capture the skin tones, the eyes, the epressions, the actions of the people, all which reward me in knowing I was the only one who got that exact look on that face at that moment that can never be captured again. These face collections are truly some of my favorite images and conjure up the most story memories of where I've been.

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Sep 18, 2011 09:06:21   #
photocat Loc: Atlanta, Ga
 
The reality )at least mine); there really isn't any thing new, all has been shot. The challenge is to find a view point that is different.

If i see another images of slot canyon i will throw up.

I have seen people walk around with camera , tripod and book; Edward Weston, Ansel Adams, etc. trying to find their tripod holes. Amazing but true. I did not have the opportunity to know or study with Edward Weston but I did do so with Ansel Adams and he would be not happy with me, if i did that.

On the other hand, painters study the masters and learn their technique in order to be better painters and I certainly can understand the same occurring with photography, but those are technical excersies not finished published work. And if they are, for heavens sake please at the least give them credit by saying "in honor of ......." or something along those lines.

In Nov. I am off to Havana for a photo workshop and believe me, I WILL NOT be reviewing Rich Sammons work from there so I can come home with a similar shot.

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Sep 18, 2011 09:21:28   #
josoIII
 
RFranko wrote:
Maybe its because they want to see if they could do better or ride on the notice me wagon. I tried that once. I went to Yosemite and tried to duplicate images Ansel Adams did. Didn't come close! I was there for a week, he spent years there. I shot about 100-200 frames he probably shot thousands. I was shooting 2-1/4x 2-3/4 roll film he shot on 8 X 10 negatives. I processed by time and temperature, he processed by safelite then intensified and bleached his negatives. It wasn't until years later that I became aware of my actual success comparatively speaking when I read an article about the late Joseph Muench where he said that he had made 160 visits to Monument Valley. Let's say he shot only 25 images with each visit. That's 4,000 images of the valley. His book I had, on Monument Vally had 20 images in it. That is 1 image for every 200 he took! I now felt good about the 1 or 2 good images of shot at Yosemite! So, don't try to follow what someone else is doing, instead do your own thing and you may see success you have created and others will try to follow.
Maybe its because they want to see if they could d... (show quote)


your words remind me of what Thomas Edison said when he showed the people he had a working light bulb, they said you have done it, you found out what makes it work, his reply, yes, and I know thousands of things that will not.

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Sep 18, 2011 09:26:17   #
rayford2 Loc: New Bethlehem, PA
 
I admire the photos I see in the magazines and truly enjoy visiting places and seeing things on the media I'll never see otherwise. I'm also envious of their unlimited funds to do this and Gessman makes a good point of the duplications.
What irks me is when a writer "tests" cameras and accessories and broo-hahas them as being God's gift to mankind, then you turn the pages, and viola, there's a full page ad on this same equipment. That's why I take writers'
opinions with a grain of salt. They are not going to shoot themselves in the foot revealing the things they don't like about equipment that is being advertised in their media.
And thats what's great about this website and the many others out there. Real people are voiceing their opinions, and a prudent (sometimes time consuming) search will get you the reliable equipment to fit your lifestyle without paying dearly for options you may never use...Ray S.

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Sep 18, 2011 09:32:01   #
josoIII
 
rayford2 wrote:
I admire the photos I see in the magazines and truly enjoy visiting places and seeing things on the media I'll never see otherwise. I'm also envious of their unlimited funds to do this and Gessman makes a good point of the duplications.
What irks me is when a writer "tests" cameras and accessories and broo-hahas them as being God's gift to mankind, then you turn the pages, and viola, there's a full page ad on this same equipment. That's why I take writers'
opinions with a grain of salt. They are not going to shoot themselves in the foot revealing the things they don't like about equipment that is being advertised in their media.
And thats what's great about this website and the many others out there. Real people are voiceing their opinions, and a prudent (sometimes time consuming) search will get you the reliable equipment to fit your lifestyle without paying dearly for options you may never use...Ray S.
I admire the photos I see in the magazines and tru... (show quote)


like the name Ken Rockwell, that has been used on every promotional site I have seen... do you ever wonder if there is really a Ken Rockwell, or just a really big sales force?

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Sep 18, 2011 09:34:09   #
William Loc: Mississippi
 
Hey Guess what? man I got me own forth-Dimention here in Mississippppiii , going on ... working in a coal mine, going Down-Town ... oops , somebody slipped down.
Why woorry, we all gotta give it up once. Go fer it fer once in your life-time-now, (the differance is you)

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Sep 18, 2011 09:57:44   #
photocat Loc: Atlanta, Ga
 
Good heavens, Ken ROckwell, the man who has admitted that at times he hasn't even touched the item he is reviewing.

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Sep 18, 2011 10:06:55   #
henrycrafter Loc: Orem Utah
 
Although I go to many of the places that are famous I make a concerted effort to NOT replicate the scene that any famous photographer has made into a picture.
It took me four hours one day to find a place near Red Rock Crossing near Sedona Arizona to find a location near the cathedral rock formation that was not the place most people photograph. AS a result I got what I feel are some unique images of the area.
It is like the TV shows. One show starts a format then everyone rushes like sheep to follow and orifinality dies.

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Sep 18, 2011 11:11:39   #
DB Loc: Myrtle Beach, SC
 
Part of the reason I put off DSLR photography for so long, was all the gorgeous photos in all the magazines, especially NATGEO. I thought, first of all, I will never travel to those exotic destinations, and my photos will never be anywhere near as close to the quality. Then I aged... and slowly learned several things. First I wanted to capture things I see in daily life that I don't want to forget as years go by. Alzheimers runs in my family and someday I want someone to share these photos if it befalls me. Second I wanted to learn a new craft, to develop my eye and be proud of what I can produce. So I took the plunge. While looking though old Kodak 110 film photos taken out west when my children were young, I realized Bryce Canyon, Yellowstone, Black Canyon of the Gunnison and other places we astonishing to me when seen for the first time. I would not trade those photos for anything. Are they attempts at recapturing something I've seen in the past, not at all. They might be photos of places other people have been photographing for years, but mine are different. They evoke the memories of the moment spent there and that brings an element to MY photos that cannot be duplicated. I wouldn't hesitate to take a photo of something someone else has done a hundred times over, unless you are just trying to copy their work. Work from inside your soul, regardless of the subject matter and you will be able to find yourself in the finished product. I would not have these beautiful photos taken on a trip through the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina if I had been concerned that someone else had already done it. When I look at them, I feel a warmth in my heart and the memories of a day spent with my husband, the awe at Nature's beauty and knowing I was standing there, in person, recording this amazing view.







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Sep 18, 2011 11:22:59   #
Kathi Loc: Pennsylvania
 
DB, these are gorgeous photos! I so agree with your view of photographs should elicit a memory, your story of having been there!
gessman, thank you for starting this thread of conversation!

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