Damien Demolder
Tharg the Mighty
Reged: 22/08/2001
Posts: 1021
Loc: Essex born and badly-bred
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Is it important to you that your pictures and ideas are original?
It’s very hard to be breaking new ground the whole time, and actually I wonder whether is makes any difference to how much you enjoy photography. We see the same views over and over again at AP, so obviously plenty of photographers are happy to go on shooting the same places in the same way. Maybe the aim is to get your picture as close to the best one you’ve seen, rather than trying to find a new way of shooting it.
I suppose it comes down to the reason you bought a camera – to express your innermost feelings or to have a bit of fun taking pictures.
Head to the home page to vote on – Do you feel the need to be original?
And… as this poll hasn’t been up for as long as usual (I’ve been away) I’ll leave it up an extra week. The new poll for this week (AP issue 9 Aug) will be embedded into its forum post above.
Thanks for taking part.
damien
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See my photographs at www.wordsonpictures.com
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Dave_Cox
old'n'grumpy
Reged: 12/07/2006
Posts: 3094
Loc: somewhere in Sussex
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I voted NO to this one. I don't spend ages looking at other peoples photos to see if the shot has been done before, it's more important that I take picturs that please me when I look at them.
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Growing old disgracefully!
http://snapper56.deviantart.com/gallery/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dave2006/
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OneTen
'Two Breakfasts'
Reged: 23/06/2003
Posts: 2538
Loc: Devon
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I'd like to be original but I don't get hung up about it. I've voted No because I just want to enjoy photography and take photographs for my pleasure.
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Richard .......... My Website - My Blog - My Flickr
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Zou
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 05/02/2007
Posts: 2117
Loc: Edinburgh
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What Richard said. If it's original, great, if not, who cares, so long as it brings me pleasure. 
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Zou's Flickr Page
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LargeFormat
old hand
Reged: 24/10/2006
Posts: 1179
Loc: Buckinghamshire and Cumbria
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I'm an architect when I'm not taking photographs  . Architects seem obsessed by being original, much to the detriment of many towns and streetscapes. Most of them would be better spending their efforts in being good rather than original at all costs. I feel that photography is much the same.
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Brendan
member
Reged: 27/01/2006
Posts: 116
Loc: Birmingham UK
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Of course I want to be original - what's the point otherwise?????
This is ALL about personal artistic expression. IMHO the aim is aim is to get to the point where people look at an image and know that its one of yours. OK tough with only amateur exposure, but that's what we should be aiming for a 'developed personal style'.
You recently had a piece on cave HDRs by Andy McInroy (one of my 'mates' on the RPS forum) - Andy has a clear style and I know his work when he posts it. If you're not working to improve your photography, fine, but accept that originality is very important to those of us that are.
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Brendan Delaney
brendandelaneyphotography.com
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ermintrude
Hinkypuff
Reged: 30/06/2003
Posts: 12521
Loc: London, UK
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Quote:
Of course I want to be original - what's the point otherwise?????
This is ALL about personal artistic expression. [.............] If you're not working to improve your photography, fine, but accept that originality is very important to those of us that are.
Well, yes, but that is exactly the question  To what percentage of readers is it important. There is no 'of course'...
For me, well it depends what kind of photograph Im trying to take, what the purpose of it is.
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ChrisBrookes
veteran
Reged: 05/11/2005
Posts: 1587
Loc: Oswestry Shropshire UK
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I do feel the need to try and be original, but often find out afterwards that the same has already been done to death! Great minds must think alike!
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Chris Brookes
http://flickr.com/photos/chrisbrookes/
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Rhys
Sasquatch
Reged: 15/01/2004
Posts: 3199
Loc: York (home of the speedbump)
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I voted no - trying to be original you probably have a higher chance of being non-original in your picture taking. I'm just me.. I take a pic and it's mine - it may unintentionally look like someone else's or if I want to be original their pic may look like mine..
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NRIPN (Officially Nuts..)
RGMP.co.uk (My Website.. well early stages anyway)
Benchinistas.org.uk The home of Benchism
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Done&rundleCams
Senior Member
Reged: 20/12/2001
Posts: 16746
Loc: Vancouver, BC
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... if I get lucky and get a (somewhat) original photo I am, in UK speak, chuffed
Cheers,
Jack
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Life is a Photo-op
MY BLOG: www.nakedmanonawire.blogspot.com
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El Sid
Going potty
Reged: 14/04/2003
Posts: 9463
Loc: Sussex-by-the-Sea
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I FEEL the need to be original...................not sure that I actually manage it terribly often though.............. 
I'd love to be one of those people with a high level of natural creativity and inspiration but mostly I suspect I'm not. Sometimes I'm very happy with some of the stuff I've produced but as to whether it's truly original I'd have to leave that to other to decide... 
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Nigel
Completely BSRIPN 
ElSid Gallery
A camera in the hand is better than one in the cupboard........
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daft_biker
Action Man!
Reged: 11/10/2006
Posts: 7668
Loc: Doon the glen
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Quote:
I FEEL the need to be original...................not sure that I actually manage it terribly often though..............
^WHS^
Although with macro photography of small beasties the harder it is to spot a subject and the harder they are to photograph the less photographs there are of them. For example.....
Not many pics of these around
but loads of pics of these
Sometimes originality isn't particularly creative and just needs a bit effort (and a whole load of luck  ).
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Andrew (BSRIPN) ... Pics.
Edited by daft_biker (04/08/2008 14:59)
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Footloose
Carpal \'Tunnel
Reged: 11/08/2005
Posts: 3188
Loc: Berkshire based.
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My sentiments are the same as Andrew and Nigel.
As for LargeFormat's comment about Architects being more interested in 'Style' rather than functionality, I couldn't agree more!
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Trainee reprobate with a pronounced limp (spelt L .. I .. M .. P.)
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john_g
Pooh-bah Hoo-ha
Reged: 09/05/2007
Posts: 2536
Loc: Surrey
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I voted yes. I want to be original but realise that almost everything has been done before. The only photographer that I know I've been directly influenced by is Edward Weston... there's nothing to touch a good vegetable and some monochrome film. I think my pictures are increasingly original because, whilst I think I'm getting better, my marks at the camera club are going down!
But as for using photography "to express your innermost feelings", well, it wouldn't make a pretty picture!
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John
Who could suppose that angels move the stars, or be so superstitious as to suppose that because one cannot see one's soul at the end of a microscope, it does not exist?
R.D.Laing The Politics Of Experience
http://www.flickr.com/photos/john_gass
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Damien Demolder
Tharg the Mighty
Reged: 22/08/2001
Posts: 1021
Loc: Essex born and badly-bred
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Quote:
I think my pictures are increasingly original because, whilst I think I'm getting better, my marks at the camera club are going down!
That's brilliant! I should start a new poll discover whether there is an inverted relationship between good photography and club marking.
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See my photographs at www.wordsonpictures.com
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NorthernNikon
Bulls Hitter
Reged: 16/12/2005
Posts: 6167
Loc: Harrogate, North Yorks
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Quote:
Quote:
I think my pictures are increasingly original because, whilst I think I'm getting better, my marks at the camera club are going down!
That's brilliant! I should start a new poll discover whether there is an inverted relationship between good photography and club marking.
I think that would be a more foregone conclusion than a Zimbabwean election.
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www.BarneyAllen.com the new home of ComicShots.
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El Sid
Going potty
Reged: 14/04/2003
Posts: 9463
Loc: Sussex-by-the-Sea
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Quote:
Quote:
I think my pictures are increasingly original because, whilst I think I'm getting better, my marks at the camera club are going down!
That's brilliant! I should start a new poll discover whether there is an inverted relationship between good photography and club marking.
Think I have to a gree with Barney.........
I'm a member of two clubs and at both I've noticed that, while the Advanced/A-class togs often get more merits, the entries in the Beginner and Intermediate are usually way more interesting. On several occasions I've been bored rigid by the dreary 'sameness' in style and subject from the top flight members...
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Nigel
Completely BSRIPN
ElSid Gallery
A camera in the hand is better than one in the cupboard........
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Benchista
Wich Tyler
Reged: 11/08/2000
Posts: 37849
Loc: Everywhere and nowhere, baby
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I´ve said a number of times that I believe that the judging process, and by extension the club scene, stifles creativity and encourages sameness. Of course that´s not an absolute, but I´ve long felt that the need to conform to given standards and expectations (both technical and aesthetic) are pretty bad for photography, or at least for the continuing development of an individual´s photography. Of course many disagree with me.
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Nick
www.nbrphoto.com
Light and Shade II - the new blog
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Footloose
Carpal \'Tunnel
Reged: 11/08/2005
Posts: 3188
Loc: Berkshire based.
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Regarding the club scene, my impression of competitions is that seasoned members invariably stick to formulaic shots, and a fair number of the judges mark by a similar system.
Sometimes you see a shot surface which has a huge amount of visual impact, without adhering to any of the commonly held views on composition, and some Judges just don't want to acknowledge it's qualities in their marking.
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Trainee reprobate with a pronounced limp (spelt L .. I .. M .. P.)
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lisadb
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 05/09/2006
Posts: 1674
Loc: Staffs
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I voted YES, as I like to look at things from different angles etc, but as others have said, while you're 'learning' you usually find out it's been done before. I started at a camera club in January and have noticed that judges don't really like 'things out of the ordinary' , much to some of the members' frustration. I haven't entered any comps yet because of 'The Rules' so it'll be interesting to see how I get on. Lisa.
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wollemi - 'look around you, keep your eyes open and watch out' (Australian aboriginal word)
My Flickr page
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