When I was in a bit of a nature photography rut recently, I found myself wondering how many more pictures of waterfalls, flowers, fall foliage, and mountains the world really needed. But as I began to think about it more carefully, I realized that one could ask the same thing of almost any subject. How many more images of abandoned buildings, cityscapes, smiling people from other cultures, and portraits of people we don't know does the world really need?
Interesting questions! But if the answer is none......than what we are left with is to go out and photograph simply because whatever the subject is has not been photographed very much in the past. That might lead to some interesting images, but my guess is that those interesting shots would be lost amidst millions of inane photos with little artistic merit that were taken simply because of the novelty. We have all seen plenty of those already.
My conclusion is that the vast majority of what I am going to photograph in my life has already been photographed before.....and quite frequently. BUT, the issue is not has it been photographed before but has it been portrayed the way I see it? In the end, I realize that one's audience isn't simply interested in your image of a waterfall because they haven't seen a waterfall before but, rather, that IF they are interested in your photograph it is because they want to see the waterfall the way you see it....through your eyes.
I think the answer, for me, always comes back to making photographs of the subjects that I am interested in and have a passion for. If you don't have a real desire to make images of the subject you are photographing it is unlikely that many people will want to see that subject through your eyes.
So, I am going to shoot what I love......but what I love to shoot is open to change from time to time based on interest, but never simply based on novelty!
Aug 27, 2010
Everything's Been Done
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I've suffered many a moment of "transient angst" pondering this question, and reached pretty much your conclusion. Indeed, the way I prefer thinking about it is that (from photographer X's point of view), *no one* but X will be able to take *any* of the pictures X takes, since only X (as you say) "sees the pictures X takes." The mistake almost all people make, IMHO, is in inuitively ascribing a "thingness" to the *photograph* rather than to the *photograph as seen/taken by photograher*. A "tree" taken by Weston is not a tree taken by Adams (even if the same "tree") is not a tree taken by Howard or Andy. Reality is much richer than that, and certainly infintiely rich when it includes the mind/soul of the artist capturing a piece of her. My 2c ;-)
I agree that when it comes to nature photography in it's widest sense "it has all been done". I think that you have to recognise that you need to do it for yourself, either because it enriches your personal experiences, or because you can add to your own personal collection of images. However, I don't think that "everything has all been done". If you mean individual images then you might be right, but if you develop a theme or fulfil the needs of a particular project then I think that a collection of related images can still be something fresh, different and hitherto not yet done: it need's to be a personal endeavour though and don't expect many others to necessarily understand what you are/have achieved!
Andy...I totally agree. I have always been amazed that when I go to a workshop and 10 or 12 people are brought to the same place to photograph the pictures they make are always totally different!
Colin...I really like the idea of the collection of photographs being unique. Which explains another concept behind the idea of working on specific projects that I hadn't really considered. Working in terms of the photographic project really has a lot going for it.
I'm sure many photographers have had that very thought "Everything has been done" including myself, so why bother if its all been done ?, if that is what one really feels while making pictures, there is pretty well only one conclusion and that would be to pack up the camera and go home. Its a good subject for a post and I'm sure comes up often for discussion on various photography sites through out the internet, for myself I have always loved to make photographs for myself, even if I know the subject has been done a 1000 times over or the or that the spot I'm photographing from is a tourist scenic spot along the highway somewhere, in the end its the ultimate joy of making a picture between myself and the subject, even though it may sound pompous but if others see the end photograph as a "everything been done" photo, well so be it, at any rate its a good exercise in creativity and brings joy to the photographer when making the picture and as others like Andy and yourself have already pointed out, its your own unique view.
In addition to this subject and as a tie in, there is a good discussion at the Online Photographer, about shooting to a theme:
http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2010/08/shooting-to-a-theme.html
Doesn't sound pompous at all! I appreciate the input/insight and the great link as well.
Very well stated Howard. It reminds me of an old Taoist saying: “In the mundane, nothing is sacred. In sacredness, nothing is mundane." Certainly, one could argue that there’s “nothing new under the sun” that hasn’t already been photographed. But I suppose this only rings true for those who fail to keep an open mind to all the creative possibilities—especially those that are a direct reflection of the photographer himself. Shooting what you love with passion and connecting with your subject are key ingredients to finding sacredness in the everyday. And when you can do that, you’re imprinting part of your soul’s DNA onto the photograph—thereby allowing your viewers to live (if only for a brief moment in time) vicariously through your unique set of eyes.
Thanks Daniel...I really like the concept of living briefly and vicariously through the photographers eyes....well said.
This post has certainly generated a number of very thoughtful and eloquently stated comments!
Nice post Howard. I have felt much the same, especially during those ruts. But somehow, the real gem is finding something completely unique in some place you have been to hundreds of times before, having some sudden inspiration of "what if I did this..." It isn't really about just the objective of doing something different, but more in the process of discovering seeing a new way.
Good point Mark. And that is one reason I like having some 'toys' to play with like neutral density filters, lensbaby etc...I think sometimes experimenting with them helps to see in different ways.
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