How True

I want to know what the word is for photographing something amazing and getting a seriously un-amazing picture when it's processed... my normal state! :(
 
Ha, I was just writing a blog post on this (somehow inspired by the identikit photos I found whilst searching Flickr for something).
 
ChrisR said:
I want to know what the word is for photographing something amazing and getting a seriously un-amazing picture when it's processed... my normal state! :(
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As that is what happens to me regularly, i reckon the word has to "Asharised":D
 
First one I think.. but with a Scandinoovian accent.
 
The Ongoing Moment by Geoff Dyer is kinda about this, how photographers congregate around familiar themes - blind people, barber shops, roads, benches, fences, etc.
 
Mark Twain said:
There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations. We keep on turning and making new combinations indefinitely; but they are the same old pieces of colored glass that have been in use through all the ages.
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The idea that there's nothing new under the sun isn't new either. What's wrong with taking inspiration from images that you like or want to copy with your own interpretation? Not photographing a sunset because lots of other people have photographed sunsets before is a silly way to restrict your creativity. There's always been a huge number of the same or similar photos, online galleries give access to them that we simply didn't have previously.

I'm currently interested in photographing the mundane, things we take for granted and often ignore. Not an original project by any means but if it enables me to improve my photography by learning what to look for and how to frame it, it works. I'm not going to stop because someone else has already done the project or because there are hundreds of similar photographs on flickr already.
 
I dont think it's about taking the obvious, overdone shot really. Its more about the internal feeling of not being original. Maybe its just me but I can definitely see this, I often feel im unoriginal and derivative in my photography and it depresses me to the point of wanting to jack it all in.

But then I sober up and get a grip. :D
 
Andysnap said:
... I often feel im unoriginal and derivative in my photography and it depresses me to the point of wanting to jack it all in.
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I feel the same way at times but I try to remember that the best way to learn is through imitation. And sometimes I'll want to take the clichéd shot because it's a classic image for a reason. If you're in Paris, would you hesitate to take a photo of the Eiffel Tower because it's been taken before? You might want to move around and look for something different if you're looking to put your own stamp on it but you'll still take a few 'doubles' because lots of other people have had the same thought.

A few months ago I took a creative writing course and one of the first things we were taught is that there is no such thing as an original story. It's said that there are no more than seven stories. I've even heard that things can be boiled down to there being two basic stories - a young man goes on a journey or a stranger comes to town (though that requires a very broad interpretation of a number of stories). The point is not to strive to tell a completely original story because you'll fail but to find your voice in order to tell the story in your way, with your influences and interpretations communicated to your audience.

I think the voice is something which can be applied to photography (and most if not all creative acts). My photographs may not be exhibition quality but I'd rather have a collection of images that show how my eye is developing and showcases the theme I was shooting; photographs that provoke a reaction in the viewer and the recognition of my work being mine, that shows my voice. I want to move beyond 'record' shots which do little more than state, "I was here".

The originality comes from my interpretation of the scene and how I communicate it to the viewer, not from looking for the unique angle, the shot that's never been taken before. If I didn't approach it that way, I may as well stop trying to take photographs altogether and stick to snapshots.
 
Well, I must say that your creative writing course worked. A very thoughtful and well-written post which nicely sums up the ideas.
I do, broadly, agree with you but I cant help sometimes feeling that I need to be 'different'. Some may say I already am.:D
 
donut said:
well ive just taken my self portrait in my car wing mirror ,,,,,,,,bet no-ones done that one before so there :D
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Mind. Blown.

tim-and-eric-mind-blown.gif
 
Andysnap said:
Ha, he forgot to load a film. :D
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Darned poundland didn't have an outlet nearby neither...............bl**dy useless:D

Going by the strap, I was using my beloved FE that I sold on to @narbs .......Sorry Jon, I forgot to mention that body is highly infected with lunar rays!:runaway::runaway::D
 
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