Photography and originality …
Some images look so similar that make me question if it is coincidence or copy. I can’t tell what is the situation in this case, but these images look strikingly similar to each other.
The one on top is from well known and influential nature photographer Thomas Mangelsen and has sold more than 2 million USD in royalty fees as a stock image licensed by Thomas Mangelsen’s stock.
The second one is from National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore, and it came across to me from the Julia Dean workshops.
Striking similarities indeed.
How much the visual influence of images drives our own photography? … how much do we “copy” even when we don’t realize we do so?
“Catch of the day” by © Thomas Mangelsen
“Moving Target” by © Joel Sartore
I think that this is a well known location, and that every year during spawning there are many photographers who camp out here to catch salmon and bear eating salmon shots. It’s not surprising that they would look similar.
From my perspective, when an image, such as the top one, gets so much visibilty, it creates a cliche and it becomes very easy icon for many of us to see when an event or situation occurs and we recognize it as that “XYZ” image, then we do “our” version. Take Kenna’s still water images or Adams images in Yosmite or Wyoming, etc.
I think that we can still photograph that similar image so we get it out of our (visual memory) system, but then that should provide the freedom to explore the situation furhter and extract more from it. Some will, some won’t.
I wrote something about the “kenna-clones” that seem to be multiplying like crazy.
It can be seen here
http://davidbram.blogspot.com/2006/12/photographic-style-robberyor-is-it.html
Yup, one spot, one waterfall, countless photographers making the same image, day after day, every year, as long as the fish run. Only about a gazillion of these exact same snaps on Flick. Coincidence? Hardly. Herd instinct? Definitely. As to the sales? Well, that was then and this is digital now. Move over Mr. Original. Joe Schmo is here, ready to give his crap away for a credit, or less.
When everyone is shooting from the same damn platform (Katmai NP I believe) it’s hardly surprising they get nearly identical images. Photos of Moulton Barn in Grand Teton NP come to mind as a very similar situation (not saying there aren’t countless others). That’s what you get when nobody bothers or dares to walk more than 50m from their car.
In the Joel Sartore Video at close range he comments on that very photo, basically saying it’s a complete cliche. Then he shows images from that session that he likes and they are pictures of the bear paparazzi standing around trying to get that same shot.
Hi Doug,
This is a funny one … do you know if the video is posted somewhere?
Miguel
Hi David,
I read your post on the Kenna clones … quite intriguing … I wonder if the copy is intentional or it just happens to be … I have a hard time to believe that an artist would copy the work of another artist in a consistent manner … one image or two, yes, but not the whole body of work … art is just too personal to become an intentional copy.
Best
Miguel
Miguel,
Just have a look at the mentioned websites.
It all looks the same to me.