Copying others’ work = Wrong Wrong Wrong and stunts personal progression!
The other day I opened one of those wedding magazines that only feature the suppliers advertising in them (you know the ones). I turned a few pages and noticed an image by a well- known local photographer; only the name on the image didn’t correlate. The name on the image was advertising a photographer that I had never heard of. A few pages later and BAAAAM there it was again. Once again I recognized an image belonging to an established photographer. Except this image had in fact been replicated by someone else and used in an advertisement.
This really irked me.
A few days later my sister sent me a link to an image on a photographer’s Facebook page. The image which they were displaying as their own was a total and utter rip off of one of my pictures that I blogged some time ago.
That’s when I decided it was time to speak out and say this: Duplicating and copying someone else’s work is just not cool! It’s seriously not cool for the person whose work you are ripping off. It could be seen as flattering at first but beside the fact it’s annoying and morally wrong, it kills your creativity and stunts your own personal growth.
Now before you start to tell me the theory that there are no more original ideas or thoughts. The theory that says that everything we think or see is somehow borrowed from someone or something else whether it be conscious or unconsciously. I will say to you, I am not talking about that today, I am talking about photographers seeing an image and then going out and duplicating it and presenting it as their work in their own portfolio.
You may say that the wedding industry is full of generic shots that clients want in their albums. You may say that the wedding industry is trend based. You may say that blogging has spurred this on with brides going onto blogs to find ideas for themselves. Once again I will say to you, I am not talking about that today, I am talking about photographers seeing an image and then going out and duplicating it and presenting it as their own work in their own portfolio.
Before I really get into this I just want to make it clear that there is nothing wrong with being inspired by something and using this inspiration to create a new image in your own way. (This is my humble opinion of course!) There is a huge difference between using something as inspiration and a photographer seeing an image and then going out and duplicating it and presenting it as their own work in their own portfolio.
I know I have repeated myself here but I just want to make it clear what my definition of copying is.
Here’s why it’s annoying when someone copies my work.
I am speaking from my own experience but I know that there are many others who feel the same. I put an insane amount of work into my craft. I spend hours looking at different imagery to inspire myself, I have spent years studying art, composition, light and technique. I have mood boards and visual diaries that I am always adding to and working on. I work hard at creating my ideas. So it really bugs me when someone comes along and just copies my work. It is the height of laziness. I also feel like the person is stealing from me when they sign the idea off as their own.
Here’s why copying someone else’s work is morally wrong.
If you are at school and you copy someone’s work during an exam it is called cheating.
If you tell someone that you came up with an idea when you didn’t it is called lying.
If you copy someone else’s words and present them as your own it’s called plagiarism.
If you take something that doesn’t belong to you without asking first it’s called stealing.
Now we all know cheating, lying, stealing and plagiarism are all BAD BAD BAD so just don’t do it!
Here’s why copying someone else’s work limits your own growth.
Let’s face it coming up with new ideas is hard sometimes. It takes a lot of work and dedication but when you crack it, and you see your own ideas come to fruition it’s just the most satisfying feeling in the world.
In order to grow creatively you need to keep pushing your personal boundaries therefore by merely being lazy and copying you are in fact just going backwards and stunting yourself. By replicating work rather than creating your own, you aren’t trusting or testing yourself enough to reach your true potential. I believe that everyone has something interesting to give and create. Trust yourself!
From a marketing and business level being unique is the one thing that sets you apart from other photographers which therefore makes you desirable. If you are constantly being innovative you become a leader rather than a follower and clients tend to flock to the leaders in an industry.
As you grow in your work, as your name becomes established, as you get excited about new ideas and happy clients so your self-esteem grows. As your self-esteem grows so you will become more confident. And funnily enough this is when you become more motivated and unique ideas flow freely.
So in a nutshell …. Instead of seeing an image and then going out and duplicating it:
Be Inspired, Be Daring, Be Creative, Be You!
January 10th, 2012 at 7:11 pm
This absolutely needed to be written…and you have summed up what frustrates so many professional photographers in the industry: COPYING! Thanks for taking the time to write this, and hopefully it will encourage those that are tempted or don’t think twice about copying, to start using their pips for a change.x
January 10th, 2012 at 7:13 pm
Good for you Jacki! I never understand why so called photographers do this anyway. The joy of being a photographer/ artist is creating something beautiful from nothing, from seeing something develop from an idea into a final image. The only comfort I get is that these people will not have a long career and nor will they have that amazing feeling you get from being true to yourself and your work xx
January 10th, 2012 at 7:21 pm
I’m so very glad you posted this (:. I’m not a professional photographer but I feel the same about those who steal photographs, whether it’s the actual photograph (which is a serious copyright infringement) or the style/look/pose. It’s just sad and so wrong to take a piece of a photographer like that. I’ve seen so many photo styles come and go, and tat includes certain subject matter and poses, but at the end of the day the unique and creative photographer will come out tops.
Thank You again for posting this.
x
January 10th, 2012 at 7:24 pm
Oh High Five to this. Well said.
January 10th, 2012 at 7:24 pm
Nowadays people are confusing what it means to be inspired and just replicate everything… inspiration means create, not replicate.
January 10th, 2012 at 7:26 pm
You are dead on! I also saw someone copying a well know International photographers work, it wasn’t even just one image, it was a whole styled shoot, I was so angry and really wanted to contact the photography blog that published it – it is so annoying looking at the photos, but as you say, those people are doing themselves wrong in the end, you can’t grow if you are not willing to.
January 10th, 2012 at 7:39 pm
So true and well written Jax! It happens to us all unfortunately. I have a makeup look which I created and I’ve since seen two copies of it….not “inspired” by it, complete copies! Very frustrating.
January 10th, 2012 at 8:13 pm
Had this happen to me 3 wks back and agree its the feeling of being ripped off not cool agreed be inspired and be origional = Recipe for success
January 10th, 2012 at 9:10 pm
So true, this happens to us with flower concepts too. Ironically we were presented with a picture of our work, from a wedding at the Oyster Box, by a company based in Cape Town (who clearly did not know that we had originally been responsible for the flowers) and asked whether we would be able create the same look!
January 10th, 2012 at 9:45 pm
So so glad you’ve written this, it is such an irritation to see the lack of creative vision due to copies…build your own vision of your work people! It’s what will keep your talent true and the clients coming back for more.
January 10th, 2012 at 11:57 pm
Unfortunately there are ‘photographers’ out there who are not artists and are motivated purely by money, along with clients who don’t want to pay for the real deal, which probably contributes to this unacceptable behaviour.
January 11th, 2012 at 8:34 am
I couldn’t agree more! Being inspired by a particular approach is one thing because you can still build on it to make it more “you” and it will reflect your style of photography, not your inspirations’. But copying an image is just disgusting, its like walking into a friends house and she/he has your exact same couches,TV,carpet,wall decor,coffee table and throw cushions, it shows a lack of respect for your originality and its actually quite sad. Thanks for blogging about this Jax!
January 11th, 2012 at 4:19 pm
Hi Jacki
thanks!
Thanks for this article – I am relatively new in the industry and have seen quite a few photographers complaining about people copying their work. Yes I look at other photographers and yes I feel inspired by their work (I specifically look at how they use light – think that is what most self-taught photographers do), but not sure where it is that you draw the line of “copying” their work? Is it a specific pose? Is it a specific scene? So if I shoot a couple through grapevine leaves where they are kissing each other, and another photographer does the same, is this copying each other? I would never want to be accused of copying anyone! During I shoot I have never though of hey, let me do this pose I have seen a photographer use, or gone to a shoot with a specific photo in mind that I have seen somewhere, I use what I have to “set the scene” and what feels right at that moment. So call me a newbie who just want to double check what exactly you refer to
January 12th, 2012 at 5:50 pm
thank you thank you thank you for this Jax. this should be the very FIRST chapter in the photography bible
January 13th, 2012 at 2:30 pm
This is a heated topic for a lot of photographers and creatives alike we are sure. Sorry to hear of your frustration Jacki. We got nailed recently too, and with a few brand identity issues thrown in to make it interesting.
Great post though.
love
welovepictures
January 18th, 2012 at 6:03 am
I can understand if it’s the whole photo, but what about a pose in a drawing? An artist doesn’t own the pose or the perspective of that pose, do they? If that were true, then would that mean that any pose we draw out, even at the top of our heads with no reference, could not be used because somone esle thought up the exact same pose, in the exact same perspective?
What if you find a pose in another artist’s drawing that you really like and never drew before, and you want to use that pose (and I mean JUST THE POSE ITSELF, not the character, clothing, or hairstyle, etc) for your own characters and drawings? What about using a pose from an artowrk that has multiple characters and poses? And using a bunch of artists’ drawings to create your own pose using the poses in their drawings for reference and combinding them into a unique new pose?
Would you be alright if you just draw out that same pose in the same perspective as in the original drawing, but in your own anatomy and drawing style? Like for example, take a pose from a Sonic character in a Sonic fanart, and apply that same pose and perspective on a human character with human anatomy instead?
Would it be alright if you use a unique pose created from combined poses from other’s artworks to make your own unique pose?
What if you found a pose in another’s artwork that you like, and you draw out that pose at a different angle or perspective? Would you still be alright even if the pose were in your own drawing and anatomy style?
But if none of this is alright, then would that mean that even any pose we draw out, even at the top of our heads or without reference, can’t be used either? Because someone thought up that pose already?
Don’t forget, the human and animal body can only do so many poses, and in so many perspectives. There’s a limit to how many poses there are and how many perspectives that same pose can be drawn in. So even if a pose in another artist’s drawing is copyrighted, wouldn’t that mean we just can’t straight out draw up our own version of that pose at all, for any reason? Commissioned or otherwise?
January 18th, 2012 at 6:06 am
Also, when I talk about redrawing the poses in other’s drawings, I don’t mean tracing over the other artist’s work, I mean “look” at the pose in that drawing and draw it out yourself as you see the shapes that make up that existing pose.
Sorry if I didn’t clear that part up. ^^;