How unique are your photos?

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
How Unique are your Photographs?

I thought this was interesting. We all like to think that we take "unique" photos. But, the truth is, many other people take very similar photos of the exact same thing.
If we strip away purely artistic expression I think the difference between the photo *you*, or a thousand other people, take of something and the nearly identical photo *I* take of something boils down to context. A photo becomes meaningful for us not from an aesthetic standpoint but a personal one. It's a connection. And regardless of how many other vacation photos there are of places I've been, the connection my vacation photos have for me is what infuses them with vitality.

As for cliché photos, of which there were many in that video (the swirl of whipped cream on a $9 cup of coffee, the forced perspective shots, et al), we have to remember that probably *99% of the population takes photos for one simple reason: it's fun. Period. 99% of the population are not photographers. They don't care about mirrorless vs DSLR or RAW vs JPG. They don't agonize over white balance. They don't own Photoshop and never will. They're NOT photographers, don't want to be and never will be. They take photos because it's FUN. That is the sum total of the experience for them. And those cliché photos are fun. On top of that, when you combine something like a forced perspective shot ("Look at me holding the moon!" Or "supporting the Leaning Tower of Pisa!") and combine it with the face of loved one, or your "bestie", it's uniqueness and value comes from the connection it creates. The fact there is a line of tourists right behind you about to duplicate your shot has nothing to do with anything, really, and diminishes your copy, or my copy not one iota. The power of photography is it's ability to connect and communicate.







/statistic courtesy of "My Ass".
....
 

AC016

Senior Member
Funny enough, i wanted to see if anyone had taken a similar photo of the doors of a court house here in Montreal. Well, what i discovered was that someone had stolen my photo and put it on their blog as part of their trip to Montreal. Needless to say, i sent the person a message.
 

AC016

Senior Member
If we strip away purely artistic expression I think the difference between the photo *you*, or a thousand other people, take of something and the nearly identical photo *I* take of something boils down to context. A photo becomes meaningful for us not from an aesthetic standpoint but a personal one. It's a connection. And regardless of how many other vacation photos there are of places I've been, the connection my vacation photos have for me is what infuses them with vitality.

As for cliché photos, of which there were many in that video (the swirl of whipped cream on a $9 cup of coffee, the forced perspective shots, et al), we have to remember that probably *99% of the population takes photos for one simple reason: it's fun. Period. 99% of the population are not photographers. They don't care about mirrorless vs DSLR or RAW vs JPG. They don't agonize over white balance. They don't own Photoshop and never will. They're NOT photographers, don't want to be and never will be. They take photos because it's FUN. That is the sum total of the experience for them. And those cliché photos are fun. On top of that, when you combine something like a forced perspective shot ("Look at me holding the moon!" Or "supporting the Leaning Tower of Pisa!") and combine it with the face of loved one, or your "bestie", it's uniqueness and value comes from the connection it creates. The fact there is a line of tourists right behind you about to duplicate your shot has nothing to do with anything, really, and diminishes your copy, or my copy not one iota. The power of photography is it's ability to connect and communicate.







/statistic courtesy of "My Ass".
....

Obviously, our own photos hold a special value. Though, i think the point of the video, especially the first one, is that there are a lot of "cliche" photos out there. For example, sunsets. I think once you have seen a few, you have seen them all. Taking a photo of a sunset is not something revolutionary and not something that has never been done before.... that is the point. Same goes for moon shots. I agree, another persons photo of the statue of liberty, does not take anything away from yours. The video is only stating that we should be more creative and think outside the box.
 

Pretzel

Senior Member
The thing that I *LOVED* about that video was that, even though "similar" shots were displayed over and over, there were never any "identical" shots.

At times, it's not the uniqueness of the thought behind the shot itself, but perhaps the uniqueness of "that moment". I've captured pics of places, things, people in settings that many others have, and I get comments like, "I took that same shot last year(week/month/whenever) and it never came out looking like THAT!" I guess it depends on what you consider "unique", too. For some, it's their editing "touch", for some, it's them shooting something they've never seen anybody shoot before, even though it may have already been done.

I liken it to Fantasy novels. "Oh noes! Old king slaughtered by evil, child hidden away for his own protection, but he's the rightful king, REVOLT!" or "Oppressive powerful dark force needs to be conquered by the least probable candidate!" It's all been done before, but every once in a while it's done so well it become the next best seller.

FORCE yourself to think outside the box. YES! That's good! But do it before you look on Google to see if it has "been done" before, or you're going to run out of ideas really quickly, and/or you'll lose your unique view of the world because you're more worried about duplication than you are creation.
 
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Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
The video is only stating that we should be more creative and think outside the box.
Oh I agree...

Still, I've never liked how this phrase seems predicated on the assumption there is a box to begin with and that we are, by default, somehow trapped inside it.

I used to take the what I dubbed "The Schrödinger Approach" to photography: That I was simultaneously both inside and outside "the box" at all times. The click of the shutter would collapse the waveform via my photo and create the circumstance. Since then, I have decided to adopt a more Zen approach to the concept of "the box" and deny its existence all together. I therefore am neither inside, nor outside, the box for in truth... There is no box, only our ego-generated fear of the box and the possibility of being inside it.

*assumes Full Lotus asana position*

.....
 

Scott Murray

Senior Member
Anything similar to this ;)

Yes I know we take similar shots but what sets us apart is our thinking and why we take shots... I was on the same bridge with two other photogs at this time, and I am the one that said I would take a series of shots for a timelapse... Or startrails... This makes me unique if others even there and then want to copy I cannot stop them. But that is the joy of close proximity photography, if it is easy to reach it is easy to duplicate. My aim is to bring things to people that cannot get away from the easy places. My aim is to clamber over boulders and through crevices to capture that unique photo.

SHM_8908-Edit.jpg
 

480sparky

Senior Member
I was once told, "Show me the world as I have never seen it".
Yes, I have some rather cliché images in my library. No doubt, there's millions of images just like this one:

Freedom_2987post.jpg



This one is mine, so to me it IS special.



But I'm sure I have some that are truly unique. Such as, who da' thunk to use a fisheye just a hair away from a bundle of crayons?

StarburstofColors_post.jpg
 

AC016

Senior Member
Oh I agree...

Still, I've never liked how this phrase seems predicated on the assumption there is a box to begin with and that we are, by default, somehow trapped inside it.

I used to take the what I dubbed "The Schrödinger Approach" to photography: That I was simultaneously both inside and outside "the box" at all times. The click of the shutter would collapse the waveform via my photo and create the circumstance. Since then, I have decided to adopt a more Zen approach to the concept of "the box" and deny its existence all together. I therefore am neither inside, nor outside, the box for in truth... There is no box, only our ego-generated fear of the box and the possibility of being inside it.

*assumes Full Lotus asana position*

.....

Way to philosophical for me.... I am going to leave this "box" (computer) now and go outside.
 

Blade Canyon

Senior Member
Thanks for posting the links to those videos. That's why I like candids and posed shots of people I know and love. No matter what, the pictures capture that moment, that expression, that emotion, that lifetime event, etc. As I wrote in another thread, some friends came over for dinner the other night. They didn't really like it when I pulled out the camera to take a few shots. Later in the evening, I showed them pictures of us from a night out 13 years ago, and they all begged me to email THOSE pictures to them. One of them posted them to Facebook the next day. Nobody asked for the pics I shot that night, however.




ETA: As a grammar nazi, the title of the video is mis-worded. "Unique" means just that, and there are no variations of uniqueness, no "somewhat unique" or "mostly unique". It is a mistake to ask "how unique" something might be. Simply ask, "Are your photos unique?"
 
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Scott Murray

Senior Member
Hey this is my approach to photography...

CAPTURE THE MOMENT

Which I think is what we all do. In actual fact we are all recording a small percentage of the past and saving it for future generations, and at how fast this generation is goin SD and CF cards will be history along with many other things...
 

Pretzel

Senior Member
Hey this is my approach to photography...

CAPTURE THE MOMENT

Which I think is what we all do. In actual fact we are all recording a small percentage of the past and saving it for future generations, and at how fast this generation is goin SD and CF cards will be history along with many other things...

I've messed with this thought "CAPTURE THE MOMENT"... tweaked it a bit... and I came up with this:

SEIZE THE DAY!

Pretty original, yeah? That's just the unique sort of guy I am...

(all tongue in cheek, of course, to add a bit of *snark* to the thread)

On a more serious note, that's the exact approach I take, and why I try to take my camera everywhere. I see all sorts of moments I want to capture. It's the moment that hits me, not the thought of, "OOOOOOOO! I wonder if anyone has done something similar to this..."
 

paul04

Senior Member
I do like looking at other peoples pictures, how they see the subject, and would have I taken the picture from the same angle.

I think we all gather inspiration and idea's, something new to try, somedays I will go out thinking today I will do landscape pictures, other days I go out and take pictures of things that catch my eye.
 

Scott Murray

Senior Member
I've messed with this thought "CAPTURE THE MOMENT"... tweaked it a bit... and I came up with this:

SEIZE THE DAY!

Pretty original, yeah? That's just the unique sort of guy I am...

(all tongue in cheek, of course, to add a bit of *snark* to the thread)

On a more serious note, that's the exact approach I take, and why I try to take my camera everywhere. I see all sorts of moments I want to capture. It's the moment that hits me, not the thought of, "OOOOOOOO! I wonder if anyone has done something similar to this..."
Actually when I capture something I think is unique all I think is... Holy shit that will look good if I got it right and in frame lol my least thoughts are of others, unless they are with me.
 

Pretzel

Senior Member
Actually when I capture something I think is unique all I think is... Holy shit that will look good if I got it right and in frame lol my least thoughts are of others, unless they are with me.

EXACTLY! That moment of "DAMN, that's would be one cool shot!" hits me quite often. Now, if I could just get that same feeling every time I viewed the results of those moments... HA!
 

Scott Murray

Senior Member
No, i am not. Though, i do like how you put things.
I like to be able to capture a moment, even though it is one of many that may have been captured it still is mine. And if i include the fact of capturing and printing out that moment then it would be highlighted and magnified.
 

Carroll

Senior Member
Oh I agree...

Still, I've never liked how this phrase seems predicated on the assumption there is a box to begin with and that we are, by default, somehow trapped inside it.

I used to take the what I dubbed "The Schrödinger Approach" to photography: That I was simultaneously both inside and outside "the box" at all times. The click of the shutter would collapse the waveform via my photo and create the circumstance. Since then, I have decided to adopt a more Zen approach to the concept of "the box" and deny its existence all together. I therefore am neither inside, nor outside, the box for in truth... There is no box, only our ego-generated fear of the box and the possibility of being inside it.

*assumes Full Lotus asana position*

.....

Very well stated.
 
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