louiegoods Loc: Northern NJ 8 miles West of NYC

Background - Facination with the night sky led to purchasing several telescopes. I started taking pictures with not so expensive CCDs, then bought a Canon T3i. I migrated to nighttime land and citiscapes then upgraded to 6dMark ll; I'm now 3 years into this journey.

I now see things from a different perspective. While traveling, I'm always on the lookout for sites that I feel are worth a return trip to photograph. I also search the Internet for pictures of nearby places taken by professional photographers and others. I'll locate the site and take my own picture, sometines, I feel, my pictures even come out better that the ones I've found.

I wonder if other members do the same thing, copy other photographer's ideas? This is a hobby for me, I don't sell pictures though friends say some of my pictures are the caliber that I should consider selling. I have no desire to sell for many reasons.

So what about it, am I really imposing on others by copying their creativity. I feel a little awkward about it; any thoughts? And, what if down the road I do consider selling some of my work is it truely my work?

Thanks Bill

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Everyone starts with copying. Now if you present this as 'your idea' this is a different story.

Do not fret about it.

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

Nothing wrong with that. On my last trip to Yosemite, I walked to Mirror Lake and with a postcard in hand attempted to find the same spot that Ansel Adams set up. Kinda interesting to note the changes in the sizes of the trees, the ones no longer there, etc.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Oh all the time. Even if you go to the exact same spot as Ansel Adam's Mt Williamson photograph (a few miles north of the cemetery at Manzanar) set up your tripod and match the angle, you're taking a photograph from the same location that Adams did, but it's still your photograph.

rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin

Bill, what you are doing is training your eye to notice and see potential photo opportunities that many others pass by every day. That is always a good thing! And before you realize it you won’t need to copy some predecessor because you will be finding and capturing your own great visions. Keep doing what you are doing.

SS319

If photographers did not do exactly what you are doing, then there would be only one photograph of half dome and many many other wonderful photos.

A few years ago, I wanted to get an Atlanta cityscape. I wandered around the city for a day, until - by accident, I found a highway bridge where the cyclone fence had a nice 4" X4" opening cut into the fence - I had found the spot where photographer after photographer shot their cityscapes.

The real trick is to turn these trips into a loop: look at photos others have taken, find their spot, take your photo, Compare and take notes, reshoot, compare and take notes, reshoot.... Research how other photographers have interpreted the same location. Discover and implement YOUR style.

DTran

I used to manage a 1 hr photo finishing store in Virginia near Washington DC. I saw a lots of pictures taken by customers with all landmarks and landscapes around the area. I often saw some pictures that have good composition and ideas but somehow they were not done well. May be poor exposure, poor focusing, insufficient DOF, have something extra in the pictures that can be removed, the lighting at the time was bad etc... I would then went out to the place at a better time and took the same pictures only with the improvements I wanted.

Ghost45 Loc: Everywhere/ Nowhere

One learns best (sometimes) by mimicking others that have excelled in their passion.
I would consider it an honor if someone “copied” what I did. It shows it was worth the effort. Bottom line, do your thing and own it.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

By emulating other's techniques (that you like), you will be developing an understanding and a technique of your own based on the results you get.

Ghost45 Loc: Everywhere/ Nowhere

Well said ☝️☝️☝️☝️

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

I will sometimes look or research for sites to take photographs, also have gotten ideas from friends and in classes I've taken. But I really try to stay away from cliche locations or shots. I sometimes note locations in my mind as we drive by. We are usually visiting the area for some other reason or on our way to a shoot elsewhere. And whether I go to a popular place or not I tend not to follow convention. Say "everyone else" is photographing some particular building, I'll be over away from others photographing a fence line that catches my attention. Or say a flower close-up in a business area in Monrovia, CA on Myrtle Ave. (where others would be doing "Street Photography"). Even once when I was at Zabraskie Point in Death Valley, since the climb was too much for me I sent my wife to the "point" with all the other visitors with a second camera and lens while I found a scene just as interesting and more unique to the East of the parking lot where I was all alone. Actually I really like what my wife who is not an avid photographer got. She got a couple shots that look like Anton Corbijn's photo of U2, minus the band of course. A side bar here: I think Anton must have shot from a ladder or cherry-picker as his shot is from a much higher vantage point than my wife's. That seems rather dangerous to me. In fact, oddly my wife sometimes get much better shots than I do. I might note, Kelso Dune (Between I-15 & I-40), and the Finger Lakes area in the Sierras (South of Tom's Place off I-395). I have mobility problems.

I think about the only time I tried to copy another photographer is I several times have tried to photograph a Bell Pepper based on Edward Weston's "Pepper #30". Not that I could ever find a Pepper shaped like that. But even at that I've failed so far. The biggest trick or challenge is the lighting. The one time I even got a dramatic looking view I was actually shooting with a 4x5" Field Camera, but having not done so in so many years I massively under exposed the film. I forgot about reciprocity failure, though I had figured in "bellows" extension. My 15 seconds should have been 45 to 75 seconds!

Now don't get the idea that I do not think viewing others photographers images are of value as a learning tool. Because I have looked at thousands of images in hundreds of books. I own scores of portfolio and other photography image books, plus close to a hundred photo instructional / method / technique guides and books. And I occasionally go to gallery shows, and of course I look at images on the Web. Often I try to figure out show they got or created their photograph. But I am less interested in location than learning a technique or the photographer's vision. I could go on and on...

pmorin Loc: Huntington Beach, Palm Springs

Two years ago my Lady brought me into the emergency room for a perforated duodenal ulcer. The surgeon said I was flatlined at one point and I was very lucky to have made it out of surgery. It took the better part of a year to recover. From that point on I decided I was going to do all the things I wanted to do, go wherever I desired and take photos of anything that interests me. I never worry about whether it’s been shot before because I have my own visions of what it should be. I use photography to please my inner soul. It is where my happy thoughts exist. So what if someone else had the same idea or shot the same location. This time it will be my turn, my vision, that which makes ME smile.

G Brown Loc: Sunny Bognor Regis West Sussex UK

We learn by example. We replicate what is great in every field. Wood turners watch what others create - then try it. The space race copies each success and learns from mistakes made by others. Photography is simply another 'skill' that feeds on another's past work.
You cannot learn anything without watching 'another's' success or failure. Why even try to re-invent the wheel? Re-invent a new use for the wheel instead!
Whatever you see - in someone elses work - can be used in a different place or time. Then it becomes 'yours'.

We don't put references and footnotes to our images,,,,no matter how close it 'matches' someone elses work it can never be 'identical'. even if you put your tripod in the holes made by someone else.

immitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

keep learning

blue-ultra Loc: New Hampshire

Wow, very thoughtful and honest comments...Thank you all for sharing. Certainly got me to thinking why I do the things I do (with the camera)...

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

I don't knowingly copy anyone's pictures, not because I don't thimk that their work is not worth duplication, it's just not the reason I use a camera. First of all, I do not have the skills of world famous photographers. I may take a pretty goodphoto (every now and then) but it would be very pretentious of me to say''"I did it better than he did"