inspiration vs imitation

this is a touchy subject that doesn't get touched on much in the photography world.  blatant copying and taking inspiration just a little too far.   

i am a photographer who now owns her own business, this is my full-time job.  i am extremely proud of this.  i have worked so hard to get to where i am right now, super hard.  i built gypsy tree from the ground up.  and i am so excited to see where it takes me in the future!!!

digital cameras are all the rage now, basically everyone has one.  the price of a starter level SLR has drastically dropped.  the web is full of new and upcoming talent and many moms who love to take photos of their own kids (myself included).  this has all changed many things about being in business as a photographer.

i've learned over the past few years that photography is ALL about style (as is any art).  you find your style and you stick to it.  plain and simple.  it's what makes you YOU.  your style takes time to find and it's unique to each photographer.  there are TONS of photographers that i seriously admire for many reasons (their post processing, their ability to find awesome locations or their flare for finding beautiful light).  i admire those photographers and respect them.  i use their eye candy to INSPIRE me.  to push me to try something new or to scout for that new awesome spot.  but i also draw inspiration from the art that is all around me, whether it be fabric, nature, a beautiful baby or awesome architecture.  it has taken me years to find my style, through lots of trial and error.  honestly it is still a continual work in progress.  i've invested my time, money and resources so that I can bring my clients a quality product worth their investment.  and a product i can be proud of.

the first thing i want to cover is blatant copying.  when you have put so much hard work, love and time into a project, it's literally  jaw dropping to see it elsewhere unexpectedly.  this will incite feelings of either anger or flattery.  i have witnessed firsthand other "photographers" advertise work as their own.  and it would had been believable  had they not forgot to take the other photographers watermark off it first.  i am still shocked and speechless at how they felt justified to rip-off someone else's work and portray it as their own.  if you cannot show your best work, then perhaps photography isn't the best field for you.  

unfortunately, it is easy to cross over from inspiration to imitation.  it is a fine line that is crossed quite often.  when you look at other photographers work and try to recreate photos and then call them your own it crosses this line.  i have given this so much thought lately.  our clients are not just paying us to “take photos” they are paying us to capture memories and moments in their lives in OUR style that they love and respect.  as photographers we place copyright on our images and even sometimes our words.  but there is no way to copyright your style.  to spend years of time educating yourself, separating yourself, defining and refining your look only to have it mimicked is frustrating to say the least.

certainly, i didn't invent the wheel.  i'm not the first photographer to shoot in water.  in a junkyard.  or in fields.  i don't own golden lighting.  or giggling families.  or all those little details.  all photographs are made up of colors, textures, lighting and much much much.  so while we own our photography as a whole, we don't own it bit by bit.  but that doesn't make us feel any less slighted by seeing our work copied.

and sadly, not every photographer has the same business ethics.  it's easy to ask a little business question here and another business question there, seems innocent enough.  it's easy to nearly duplicate someone else's logo because you loved it; seems justifiable.  and it's much easier to duplicate someones work when you've blocked them on facebook.  unfortunately, i'm naive.  certainly not that i expect to get all the business in the world, i realize that my style isn't going to fit every clients needs and that isn't my point.  the point is...be honest.

so do i feel flattered?  well obviously, if you are going to copy someones business or style you must really love what they are doing, right?  if you are going to block them on facebook, you must feel threatened by them, right?  should that make it ok?  i'm honestly not sure of the answer to that. i would love to honestly say I feel flattered, unfortunately I don't at all.

it is not my intention to single anyone out or belittle anyone and i refuse to ever mention names.  i just think there should be some respect.  especially for those people who choose the same profession as you.  i think that your creativity and your business should be your own and something that you work hard to attain.

Abraham Lincoln said it best:  "You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time".  the moral of the story?  just be you.  both you - and your clients - will appreciate the results more.

xoxo
amy