creativity and originality

[ericw]

I feel like right now all I do with my photography is imitate (both consciously and subconsciously) what I've seen others do. Maybe this is partly due to the fact that I'm still trying to learn my way around lighting and the many other facets of portraiture and photography. But I just stumbled onto this guys photostream and, while I loved looking at his images (the portraiture most of all) and plan to study them further, it was kind of depressing. And it's something that bothers me in some of my other ventures as well - how can I be creative? How do you come up with an original flavor? Find your own style?

Unfortunately I don't think this is something a tutorial can address... Does anyone else feel like they're completely uncreative? And what to do about it?

Here are some of the ones I most liked from his collections:
this one breaks some 'rules'
pretty neat
I don't know why I like this one so much
I would never think to frame like this

[Ginger Pixie]

Originally Posted by ericw

I feel like right now all I do with my photography is imitate (both consciously and subconsciously) what I've seen others do. Maybe this is partly due to the fact that I'm still trying to learn my way around lighting and the many other facets of portraiture and photography. But I just stumbled onto this guys photostream and, while I loved looking at his images (the portraiture most of all) and plan to study them further, it was kind of depressing. And it's something that bothers me in some of my other ventures as well - how can I be creative? How do you come up with an original flavor? Find your own style?

Unfortunately I don't think this is something a tutorial can address... Does anyone else feel like they're completely uncreative? And what to do about it?

Here are some of the ones I most liked from his collections:
this one breaks some 'rules'
pretty neat
I don't know why I like this one so much
I would never think to frame like this

I think there is a difference between being aware of the rules, and slavishly following them whenever you take a photograph. If rules are hampering your creativity, ditch them (at least consciously) and experiment a bit. If you aren't quite sure how a photo is going to turn out at that setting / exposure /with that composition, take it. Look at it. Decide if you like it. Delete if you don't.

I reckon if you spend half your time trying to recreate aspects that inspired you from others work, and half the time just having fun with whatever is there will give you a balanced start in finding your own creativity.

[dcclark]

My best advice:

Actively don't paint yourself into a corner.

Meaning -- while it's good to look at others' photos and try to copy techniques or ideas you like (we all start out that way, often we keep doing it occasionally), force yourself to do new and different things. Even if you think they may fail horribly -- nobody else has to see them! And if you're honest with yourself, you'll always find something new and interesting when you do this... again, even if you don't like the results, you can focus on something little that you did like, and try again.

As an example... I almost always take landscapes, nature, and industrial ruins photos. I like the feeling of decay and loneliness that I can evoke that way. On the other hand, I'm sort of scared of portraits... but one night I had an idea. It didn't work all that well, so I went and tried again... and took some of that feeling of loneliness and spookiness that I get from old mining ruins. Thus was born The Council of Dave, which has worked out better than I ever thought.

This is sort of a way of "manufacturing" creativity. Give it a try!

[sk66]

Well, IMO photography (like music and most forms of art) is completely overdone....It is almost impossible to come up with something completely original.
Add to that, even if you *think* you are being original, you are probably being strongly influenced by what you experienced (saw) in your past.

But, every image (also like music and most forms of art) IS UNIQUE in some way.....it is the "making it yours" that makes the difference...

So, go ahead and copy....you'll probably never "duplicate", and it's a good way to learn.

[ericw]

Thanks for the responses and advice everyone.

[Gobae]

Originally Posted by ericw

Does anyone else feel like they're completely uncreative? And what to do about it?

Uncreative? No. Not Unique? Yes, in a way.

The fact is that the bulk of the techniques that work in photography have already been discovered and used by someone, somewhere.

But that doesn't really bother me. A person's creativity ("their style") comes from taking all the things they've been exposed to, combining, using, discarding, parts as they see fit, and making something that suits them. The parts of peoples styles aren't unique, but the end result is.

[fstopMike]

Everybody looks at the world in a different way. You can look at others' photos and copy techniques to learn, but then from that point, experiment by thinking about how you might look at and approach the same subject. Don't get discouraged, just shoot, shoot, shoot, and you'll see your technique and your creativity improve.

Here's a post by Jim Bryant on this forum that offers a lot of good advice:
EDFAT - Art of seeing

[zharth]

"Stealing from one source is plagiarism. Stealing from many is research."

As in all artistic disciplines, music as well as photography, one usually becomes skilled (though not necessarily renowned) by copying or imitating the successes of others. But the more sources you draw from, the more unique your own approach becomes, and the more spaces there are for your own creativity to leak in. Even if you see a shot somebody else took, that you really like, and try to take one of your own just like it (which is something I tend to do a lot), the result is not gonna be the same shot - it's going to be *your* interpretation of the shot.

That having been said, you should be careful not to step on anyone's toes, and give credit where it's due. And you should also pursue your own inner directive. When you see a shot you like, chances are you like it because it resonates within you - things you like, or shots you'd like to take. So examining those kinds of shots also helps you to better understand your own approach, and what it is you're trying to pursue. If you give it time, I'm sure your personal style will begin to show.