Oops did I 'copy' your composition?

[Dylan & Marianne]

I do not believe their is a solution, other than to accept it happens.

- as alluded to in the last paragraph of the blog

I agree with Steve and you about the environmental issue - for instance,if I did a naughty and went trespassing to get a shot (intentionally or unintentionally) - I wouldn't want to publicly reveal that spot either

[zollo]

I agree that for learning purposes trying to copy someone's work rock for rock may be beneficial. In fact, our lecturer encouraged us to do it while doing assignments for tafe. It lets you see which principles of composition they applied if any! What I ended up finding out though, is that often I would actually prefer my own compositions to theirs, and trying to copy someone's work would often be more of a struggle than coming up with my own compositions. To boot, I could never pass off someone else's compositions as my own for monetary gain, i would end up feeling empty about the photo.

So I stopped looking at others works and concentrated on coming up with my own style, Which I am still very much working on. Sometimes I will photograph a scene only to find a very similar photo online already, so my guess is, that it's going to happen. Although the fact that this other photographer is "following" Dylan and Marianne is highly suspect. Not having seen this photographers work, I will say that if he/she doesn't work on developing their own style of photography, the person will struggle in a sea of other photographs all of the same thing/area/location and will become an 'also ran' ( hope that's not putting it too harshly )


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[outstar79]

I try....sometimes unsuccessfully to emulate certain photographers and as a point of learning it's fine but agree with Zollo above - you do have to step beyond that and find your own niche and style.
For me though, it's less about photographing the same scene but more the process they used to achieve a particular element in the shot - such as my sunbursts
Though while I see all these beautiful scenes photographers take - like your NZ series and Iceland - it does make me want to go there and shoot my own take on it.

[Dylan & Marianne]

haha thanks adam - I think I'm reasonably open regarding to how I take images and if people want to emulate, then I must be doing something right
I found it really interesting that a fantastic photographer on flickr (andywon ) read my blog and stated that he was standing at a waterfall with his iphone using my pic as a reference trying to figure out where I took it from!
I had no objection to that for a strange a personal reason as we'd had good dialogue over the years as opposed to the Binalong Bay tree example

[Xenedis]

It's very difficult these days to do something, photographically, that is truly original.

I am not sure if any other people have ever set out to reproduce their own takes on images I've previously shot, but one day I discovered that one of my Flickr contacts (whom I've also met) shot a a very similar composition of a rock formation I had photographed a few years ago at Long Reef.

The scene isn't one that would be commonly photographed. Whether or not he'd seen my image, I don't know. I'm not worried about it either way. I was just amazed to see something so similar to my image (compositionally) -- I recognised the two rocks, and their placement was much the same as mine.

Even if someone attempts to copy my image, it can never be the same. Compositionally, it can be close, but unless the person uses the exact same tripod, head, camera, lens, focal length and aperture I did, and placed the tripod in exactly the same position with the exact same angle -- all rather impossible -- it can never be exactly the same.

And then there's the issue of the sky, the sun, clouds, tides or whatever.

If people do copy my compositional or processing styles, I'm not bothered.

I'm more interested in doing what I like doing, and sharing with others (and helping them along the way) than becoming concerned about being 'copied' or emulated.

I don't keep locations secret, although the notion of discovering a great place that seemingly few if any others have shot, is rather appealing.

For me, doing what I like doing, and doing it well, takes priority over worry about what other people are doing and whether it's similar in any way to what I'm doing.

We can all learn from each other, and if someone goes out and shoots a very similar image to one I had shot, and does it better, it just might give me inspiration to go out and shoot an even better image than I did the first time.

[outstar79]

haha thanks adam - I think I'm reasonably open regarding to how I take images and if people want to emulate, then I must be doing something right
I found it really interesting that a fantastic photographer on flickr (andywon ) read my blog and stated that he was standing at a waterfall with his iphone using my pic as a reference trying to figure out where I took it from!
I had no objection to that for a strange a personal reason as we'd had good dialogue over the years as opposed to the Binalong Bay tree example

Just looked at his stuff - truly amazing! He has an artistic flair for a physicist

[I @ M]

It's very difficult these days to do something, photographically, that is truly original.

Amen.

Just looked at his stuff - truly amazing! He has an artistic flair for a physicist

I don't believe artistic flair is in anyway governed by or a result of a persons occupation.
As an example, I know a guy who has worked in the timber industry cutting down trees and who now works on oil and gas rigs in Bass Strait yet his ability to draw cartoons in seconds rivals or exceeds many well published cartoonists from the national if not international press.
At the other end of the spectrum, we see people with highly trained scientific minds producing enviable art.
I think perhaps that the artistic talent that they had in the first place influences their ability to have success in other careers rather than vice versa.

[outstar79]

Amen.



I don't believe artistic flair is in anyway governed by or a result of a persons occupation.
As an example, I know a guy who has worked in the timber industry cutting down trees and who now works on oil and gas rigs in Bass Strait yet his ability to draw cartoons in seconds rivals or exceeds many well published cartoonists from the national if not international press.
At the other end of the spectrum, we see people with highly trained scientific minds producing enviable art.
I think perhaps that the artistic talent that they had in the first place influences their ability to have success in other careers rather than vice versa.

Oh I wholeheartedly agree - I know plenty of highly trained scientists, doctors and engineers that enjoy the escapism that the arts (such as this) can create. This site alone has a wide range of professional backgrounds and are able to create some very beautiful images.
And as Andywon as a physicist - I'd emulate his work for sure, just wouldn't be as successful

[Dylan & Marianne]

Hey adam, did you know I'm a general physician lol - escapism indeed!

[gerry]

Hey Dylan, some good response so far so and after reading this post (G Dan Mitchell) it reminded me of a recent issue somewhat similar - more relates to icons but address the side of teh same composition, there is some great discussion about it there too.

http://www.gdanmitchell.com/2012/08/...g-icons-or-not

For me, the crux of it just means one should try and push to achieve something different and those that do and do it well will be copied especially now in the way images are published and shared online, there is very little you can do about it, but anyone worth knowing can usually see through people that try and copy the exact compositions.

[Dylan & Marianne]

thanks for the link gerry ! will try to read it to fill in gaps at work hehe