# No Traintracks, No Brickwalls



## manaheim (Jan 14, 2012)

Folks, here's a tip... EVERYONE takes the picture with the train tracks or the brick walls.

Try to avoid it.


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## dakkon76 (Jan 14, 2012)

May as well skip sunsets, mountains, trees, ducks and stars too. Right?


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## Sonoma (Jan 14, 2012)

WHAT?  and flowers!


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## 412 Burgh (Jan 14, 2012)

Good think I like the industrial look. You know metal building with rust, beams, I-beams, and all that jazz !


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## mishele (Jan 14, 2012)

Sonoma said:


> WHAT?  and flowers!



NO!!!






lol


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## unpopular (Jan 14, 2012)

CRAP. I messed that one up.


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## Ron Evers (Jan 14, 2012)

Sonoma said:


> WHAT?  and flowers!



Definitely not  & no bees either.


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## KmH (Jan 14, 2012)

High school senior client - "I want my photos to be totally unique and to show my individuality. I want my photos to look _just like the ones you took of my sister and all our friends."_ 

So, off we head to the brickwalls and the railroad tracks. :lmao:


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## unpopular (Jan 14, 2012)

One young startup in my community had an interview with one of my old classmates as second photographer. She said that she actually critiqued her images saying you should never, ever put the model in front of a brick wall!

I changed schools after two semesters of that crap. It looks like she graduated ... without a job.


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## Bitter Jeweler (Jan 14, 2012)

dakkon76 said:


> May as well skip sunsets, mountains, trees, ducks and stars too. Right?



Yup especially ducks!


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## unpopular (Jan 14, 2012)

Is it even possible to get a good duck photo?

I mean. I'm willing to think so, but i haven't seen one.


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## Bitter Jeweler (Jan 14, 2012)

unpopular said:


> Is it even possible to get a good duck photo?
> 
> I mean. I'm willing to think so, but i haven't seen one.



No. They are nearly all shot at the same vantage point. Looking down at them on the water.

People aren't willing to get in the water for a different perspective.


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## MSnowy (Jan 14, 2012)

and the Red Barn at Rockport MA.


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## unpopular (Jan 14, 2012)

Bitter Jeweler said:


> People aren't willing to get in the water for a different perspective.



eww. duck poop.


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## mishele (Jan 14, 2012)

Bitter Jeweler said:


> unpopular said:
> 
> 
> > Is it even possible to get a good duck photo?
> ...



Is this a challenge?!!!! Where is a damn duck!!  lol


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## unpopular (Jan 14, 2012)

One great way to avoid a cliche at a well known location or theme is to image search your subject and look for repetition. 

Subjects are not cliche, images are.

Take these examples of this subject:

http://image.shutterstock.com/displ...rand-teton-national-park-wyoming-21233107.jpg

verses

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3131/2603127370_f02ee20ee0.jpg

http://www.wildnatureimages.com/images 3/070621-027..jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/Barns_grand_tetons.jpg/284px-Barns_grand_tetons.jpg


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## Compaq (Jan 14, 2012)

Duck running on water by Anders Myhre Brakestad, on Flickr





IMG_8504edit by Anders Myhre Brakestad, on Flickr





Fighting ducklings by Anders Myhre Brakestad, on Flickr





IMG_8381_edit by Anders Myhre Brakestad, on Flickr





I haz to change direction! by Anders Myhre Brakestad, on Flickr





IMG_8809edit by Anders Myhre Brakestad, on Flickr



:thumbsup:


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## unpopular (Jan 14, 2012)

The first one, no. It's pretty much what I hate about ducks.

The ducklings don't count, because they're JUST SO CUTE! lol

And wtf. the last ones aren't even ducks!


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## Compaq (Jan 14, 2012)

Darn it, you noticed that?


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## TenaciousTins (Jan 14, 2012)

I like the brick wall look...a lot of people do...but you do see an awful lot of it. There is one photographer I highly respect and I don't think I've seen any brick wall photos from her but she does a lot with railroad tracks...but the pictures are unusually good for rail road track pictures and I like them...so I think it's more about using your imagination than anything else. 

Yes...no more duck photos...


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## unpopular (Jan 14, 2012)

That duck is like "ima bite your FACE"


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## rexbobcat (Jan 14, 2012)

But....I have to do headshots for a friend....and brick walls are so convenient.....what do I do now?


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## unpopular (Jan 14, 2012)

^^ grocery store isles I think are the new thing.


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## MSnowy (Jan 14, 2012)

Oh and seagulls or are they gulls ?


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## mishele (Jan 14, 2012)

I would like to add waterfalls.


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## unpopular (Jan 14, 2012)

pretty soon we'll only have grey muslin left! no model. no subject. just grey muslin.


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## mwcfarms (Jan 14, 2012)

Honestly I don't care if its been done to death. While I am searching for my own style and creating images that set me apart if I want to shoot a bloody brick wall because its something I haven't done then I will. If its new to me I'll probably try it. Yes Chris this is me being obstinate. Can you see me sticking my tongue out at you? :hug::


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## TamiAz (Jan 14, 2012)

I hate being told what to do!! :greenpbl:


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## Ron Evers (Jan 14, 2012)

That's the way TT, get down to the level of your subject.


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## TamiAz (Jan 14, 2012)

mwcfarms said:


> Honestly I don't care if its been done to death. While I am searching for my own style and creating images that set me apart if I want to shoot a bloody brick wall because its something I haven't done then I will. If its new to me I'll probably try it. Yes Chris this is me being obstinate. Can you see me sticking my tongue out at you? :hug::



Ha...We posted about the same thing at the same time!!


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## TamiAz (Jan 14, 2012)

Ron Evers said:


> That's the way TT, get down to the level of your subject.



Want to try that with a rattlesnake???   Nice picture!!


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## mwcfarms (Jan 14, 2012)

TamiAz said:


> Ron Evers said:
> 
> 
> > That's the way TT, get down to the level of your subject.
> ...



With a 500mm lens maybe haha.


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## rexbobcat (Jan 14, 2012)

I don't really understand the railroad track thing. I mean, high school seniors on the railroad tracks, and babies on the railroad tracks etc....the message it sends to me is "negligent parenting", and "teenage suicide."

I've never particularly liked railroad track photos.


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## thereyougo! (Jan 14, 2012)

what about swans?





swans by singingsnapper, on Flickr


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## Proteus617 (Jan 14, 2012)




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## The_Traveler (Jan 14, 2012)

If we are listing photos that I hope never to see again, let me add 'tree(s) silhouetted against colorful sky.'

I saw one and the person was asking about the (dust bunny) spots on the image; my impulse was to say that was her sensor throwing up.


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## thereyougo! (Jan 14, 2012)

rexbobcat said:


> I don't really understand the railroad track thing. I mean, high school seniors on the railroad tracks, and babies on the railroad tracks etc....the message it sends to me is "negligent parenting", and "teenage suicide."
> 
> I've never particularly liked railroad track photos.



lol.  I suspect it's because it is an easy way of getting leading lines even I can do it:




frankfurt rail tracks by singingsnapper, on Flickr


Ooops sorry Manaheim just broke the rule of the thread


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## Ron Evers (Jan 14, 2012)

And cats, cripes even Bitter has posted a pic of his cat.


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## Bitter Jeweler (Jan 14, 2012)

rexbobcat said:


> I don't really understand the railroad track thing. I mean, high school seniors on the railroad tracks, and babies on the railroad tracks etc....the message it sends to me is "negligent parenting", and "teenage suicide."



I have said that more than I care to remember. Not too long ago, well, maybe last year, we had someone post a maternity shoot on the tracks. The visual message was just unnerving! 


That, and there's the subject of being insured. If YOU suggest the preggo lady do a photoshoot on train tracks, and she trips and falls, and miscarries...oh dear!


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## Bitter Jeweler (Jan 14, 2012)

Ron Evers said:


> And cats, cripes even Bitter has posted a pic of his cat.


 Never for CC though!


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## Overread (Jan 14, 2012)

What about Flies and Fireworks?


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## Compaq (Jan 14, 2012)

Awkward river shots?




IMG_1279 edit by Anders Myhre Brakestad, on Flickr




Or too heavily cropped water drops?




dråpe_7 by Anders Myhre Brakestad, on Flickr


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## manaheim (Jan 14, 2012)

Mish, I seriously need to buy a print from you.  That picture is AMAZING.


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## manaheim (Jan 14, 2012)

Is it sad that I recognized Ron's cat before I saw who posted that?


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## unpopular (Jan 14, 2012)

Ugly green cups?






Wait. That isn't a "thing" is it...


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## Overread (Jan 14, 2012)

manaheim said:


> Mish, I seriously need to buy a print from you.  That picture is AMAZING.



Forget prints - Mish needs to publish a book! (making sure its oversized print, hardback and NO posting the same photo across two pages).


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## Ron Evers (Jan 14, 2012)

manaheim said:


> Is it sad that I recognized Ron's cat before I saw who posted that?



Laf, yes Cricket has been around.


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## GeorgieGirl (Jan 14, 2012)

I have no idea whey I took so much pooh around here when I said no more ducks....or was it squirrels??? :raisedbrow:


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## cgipson1 (Jan 14, 2012)

Somebody mentions Fireworks? and Flowers? How about Fireworks and Flowers?


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## jake337 (Jan 14, 2012)

May as well just stop taking photos all together......


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## tirediron (Jan 14, 2012)

Based on all of the items that people no longer wish to see in photographs, it is henceforth decreed that the only permissible subjects for photographers shall be the platypus and the rocks at the bottom of a riverbed!


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## KristerP (Jan 14, 2012)

Don't mind me... just passing through..


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## mishele (Jan 14, 2012)

I hate the rock at the bottom of the riverbed shot....cross that one off too!! lol Anyone have a picture of a  platypus?


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## Bitter Jeweler (Jan 14, 2012)

GeorgieGirl said:


> I have no idea whey I took so much pooh around here when I said no more ducks....or was it squirrels??? :raisedbrow:



No, it was somebodies baby.



Speaking of...no more children.


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## thinkricky (Jan 14, 2012)

Sunshine lollipops and rainbows?


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## tirediron (Jan 14, 2012)

Bitter Jeweler said:


> ...Speaking of...no more children.


Going somewhere Bitter? 





:greenpbl:


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## Bitter Jeweler (Jan 14, 2012)

Huh?


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## cgipson1 (Jan 14, 2012)

No more smarmy, sweet baby shots either! Yechh! and no Weddings.. seen one, you've seen them all!

(althought cute girls/lovely women are still allowed!)


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## cgipson1 (Jan 14, 2012)

Bitter Jeweler said:


> Huh?



no more children? <snip snip?>   lol!


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## Compaq (Jan 14, 2012)

I think we're left with the platypuses and NSFW.


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## Overread (Jan 14, 2012)

Compaq said:


> I think we're left with the platypuses and NSFW.



Site rules limits the last so just platypuses


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## unpopular (Jan 14, 2012)

what about NSFW platypus pictures?


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## Compaq (Jan 14, 2012)

To save the board you better do something about those limitations


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## manaheim (Jan 14, 2012)

rexbobcat said:
			
		

> I don't really understand the railroad track thing. I mean, high school seniors on the railroad tracks, and babies on the railroad tracks etc....the message it sends to me is "negligent parenting", and "teenage suicide."
> 
> I've never particularly liked railroad track photos.



I know everyone is having a ball with this thread but my original point was genuine and you've nailed it exactly.


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## unpopular (Jan 14, 2012)

To me it sends the message of wannabe ghetto kids.


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## sm4him (Jan 14, 2012)

Overread said:


> Compaq said:
> 
> 
> > I think we're left with the platypuses and NSFW.
> ...



And it's only gonna take one or two platypus pictures before we're tired of those too...


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## sm4him (Jan 14, 2012)

unpopular said:


> what about NSFW platypus pictures?



EEwww...


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## Overread (Jan 14, 2012)

Well based on the current speed of platypus pictures appearing I'd say we've got a good 2 years before we bore of the whole site. At least if we only get one platypus per year. A serious platypusographer might well spam the site to the point of overplatification.


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## sm4him (Jan 14, 2012)

cgipson1 said:


> No more smarmy, sweet baby shots either! Yechh! and no Weddings.. seen one, you've seen them all!
> 
> (althought cute girls/*lovely women are still allowed*!)



Or handsome men!


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## tirediron (Jan 14, 2012)

manaheim said:


> rexbobcat said:
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Okay, let's be serious.  Yes, railroad tracks and brick walls have become cliche, BUT, that doesn't mean that they can't be well done, and unless people experiment, and try, we might never see the world's greatest 'brick wall' shot.  A few hundred years ago, painting ladies reclining on fainting couches was considered cliche, now many of those pictures are worth a fortune...


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## unpopular (Jan 14, 2012)

manaheim said:


> rexbobcat said:
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Actually... does it send this message because of stereotypes about inner city families? When I see these images I see more of an "urban" or "tough" look trying to be conveyed. It always seems kind of silly to me when it's some sweet looking girl dressed up with designer jeans and a big goofy grin.

I am not sure that it sends a message of teen suicide (I really don't see that one) but perhaps maybe teen runaways and certainly a "wrong side of the tracks" urban atmosphere.


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## cgipson1 (Jan 14, 2012)

sm4him said:


> cgipson1 said:
> 
> 
> > No more smarmy, sweet baby shots either! Yechh! and no Weddings.. seen one, you've seen them all!
> ...



Those are a myth.. pure fiction!  lol!


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## dakkon76 (Jan 14, 2012)

manaheim said:


> rexbobcat said:
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I wouldn't think a talented photographer would balk at such a request from a client. Surely someone of that caliber would be able to find a way to make such a shot stand out among the countless cliches... I guess that's the counter-argument I was trying to make. I think the majority caught on.


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## TenaciousTins (Jan 14, 2012)

unpopular said:


> That duck is like "ima bite your FACE"



Oh yeah, he was, too. This was in Australia at a fauna park and my friend spotted him under a bush. It was quite dark in there and he was NOT happy about being found. I only wish that my focus had been a little better. 



Ron Evers said:


> That's the way TT, get down to the level of your subject.



Holy cow! Er...snake!!! great pic!


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## Ron Evers (Jan 14, 2012)

Thanks TT.  Here is another example of getting down to the subject.


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## 12sndsgood (Jan 14, 2012)

Bitter Jeweler said:


> unpopular said:
> 
> 
> > Is it even possible to get a good duck photo?
> ...




but what if i can talk them into doing tricks like making shapes?




vacation07 011 by Sndsgood, on Flickr


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## unpopular (Jan 14, 2012)

Synchronized Duck Swimming!


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## CowgirlMama (Jan 14, 2012)

I have some duck pictures somewhere. No idea if they're any good, since I took them several years ago. I've shot my toddler on train tracks, but with a reason.  He adores trains, so a picture on the tracks seems fitting to who he is. It should also be mentioned that my mom was barely outside the shot so he could be scooped up quickly. I like shooting at the rodeo grounds where I live because it's close to 100 years old and has beautiful fields behind part of it, so there's lots of variety.


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## Trever1t (Jan 14, 2012)

is there really any sound that hasn't been sung, is there a new color we haven't seen? Everything imaginable has been imagined. Everything is cliche and unique, simultaniously.


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## CowgirlMama (Jan 14, 2012)

> What has been will be again,
> what has been done will be done again;
> there is nothing new under the sun.



There hasn't been anything new in forever! That quote is from my Bible.


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## Bitter Jeweler (Jan 14, 2012)

TenaciousTins said:


> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v35/RonEvers/P1070743sm.jpg[/IMG]



...snake!!! [/QUOTE]


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## Natalie (Jan 14, 2012)

mwcfarms said:


> TamiAz said:
> 
> 
> > Ron Evers said:
> ...


Nah, 100mm lenses are fine for rattlesnakes.


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## cgipson1 (Jan 14, 2012)

No More FROGS! Jump to it! They are evil, green and slimy!


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## blackrose89 (Jan 14, 2012)

My crappy duck photos. At least I didnt shoot them from above while they were in the water haha 

Florida Duck by blackrose1981, on Flickr

Florida Duck by blackrose1981, on Flickr


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## photog4life (Jan 14, 2012)

mishele said:


> Bitter Jeweler said:
> 
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> > unpopular said:
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those things are scary... one chased me around the pond!!


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## manaheim (Jan 14, 2012)

There no doubt that true originality it pretty hard to come by, but certain settings and subjects are so far to the extreme opposite of originality as to be seriously tired... To the point of being painful.

I've always tried (tried!) to only take the shots I felt were more unique.

As someone pointed out... A pro isn't likely to deny a customer request.  My weddings have an almost unavoidably high percentage of typical images, but those aren't the ones I strive for.

Since this forum is about being not just a better photographer, but (I think) about being a better artist, it seems a good idea to call out cliches for what they are.


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## GeorgieGirl (Jan 14, 2012)

Screw You, I'm going' home.


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## swampmonkey (Jan 14, 2012)

what about ducklings The Lincoln Memorial | Flickr - Photo Sharing!  not me


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## Ron Evers (Jan 14, 2012)

photog4life said:


> mishele said:
> 
> 
> > Bitter Jeweler said:
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More likely it was a goose that chased you.


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## thereyougo! (Jan 14, 2012)

Ron Evers said:


> photog4life said:
> 
> 
> > mishele said:
> ...


Geese are often better than German Shepherds as Guard dogs!


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## Overread (Jan 14, 2012)

manaheim said:


> There no doubt that true originality it pretty hard to come by, but certain settings and subjects are so far to the extreme opposite of originality as to be seriously tired... To the point of being painful.
> 
> I've always tried (tried!) to only take the shots I felt were more unique.
> 
> ...



I recall Zak Arias saying something along the lines that on the road to becoming a professional photographer one often has to do a lot of work that isn't photography, but involves a camera, until such time as you are good enough for people to come to you to pay you to do photography.


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## pharmakon (Jan 14, 2012)

What if you combined railroad tracks with selective color...  would the double cliche cancel itself out??  

Under my umbrella-ella | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
or even better...

Ducks on railroad tracks! | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

(Not my photos, could only post a link)


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## manaheim (Jan 14, 2012)

Overread said:


> manaheim said:
> 
> 
> > There no doubt that true originality it pretty hard to come by, but certain settings and subjects are so far to the extreme opposite of originality as to be seriously tired... To the point of being painful.
> ...



You know, I was thinking something along those lines as I was writing it... eventually you'd get good enough that the customers wouldn't be dictating as much, and you'd likely just tell them to go get a "typical photographer" if that's what they were looking for.  Sounds like maybe I wasn't that far from the mark.

I highly doubt I'll ever see that day, personally, however.


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## Ron Evers (Jan 14, 2012)

thereyougo! said:


> Ron Evers said:
> 
> 
> > photog4life said:
> ...



No kidding!

We had a fenced acre with two small ponds that housed free range pigs, ducks & geese & @ the gate was a sign "Beware of Geese".  

I would take kitchen scraps down & toss them over the gate for the critters & one time a Goose laid claim as a pig barged in & tried to get some.  The goose grabbed that pig by the jowl  & hung on with the pig running about squealing.  The poor pig sported the mark of the goose for @ least a week.  

Oh, how we get off topic but I do like to share some of our life's experiences.


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## Overread (Jan 14, 2012)

I think most get to a point where they are able to have some of their creative outlet, whilst also providing the staple bread and butter work to earn their keep. But where the staple work is the greater (generally speaking) bulk of their workload/earning. It is the rarer few who get good enough (and market themselves well enough) that they become sought out specifically for their creative side alone (and even then they'll have staple/stock creative options to get the keeper shots when needed = at least if attending events such as a wedding).


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## GeorgieGirl (Jan 14, 2012)

Omg.. You guys are on crack ( as we say here at home)...


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