And I am reading a book about Glamour Photography. Its a good book, where they show the work and portfolio of many successful portrait photographers. At the end of each portfolio, the photographer is asked to give a couple of wise words to the photographers to be.
There are many, amazing technical advices. But sometimes you also see incomplete sentences.
One of the guys says: do not copy the style of anyone. Make your own!
Well, do I agree? Yes and no... I think the sentence is out of context or rather incomplete.
Time and experience has shown me that copying is a great way to learn. Whatever the field is: oracle databases or photography. Thanks to copying exercises, you are able to walk over the steps of a master (or someone you appreciate) and squeeze your brains to catch up the technique you need to produce a certain idea. All those copy exercises produce good references in your mind that you might use while developing your own style.
Would Gaga be such a success without being inspired by our beloved forever young Madonna and transforming her style? I appreciate people that can transform, create and develop whatever already is. That is creativity, not copying.
What the guy meant to say, I believe, is that it is not correct to copy something and sell as being yours. And with that I agree and I also get pi$&ed off!
All that to say one thing: the picture I've posted today is a copy exercise for my photography course long ago. They asked me to reproduce a product photography and so I did. I did not meant to steal the idea of anyone or sell it as being mine. But I must confess the copy is better than the original and I had much less equipment ;) but it is a copy and with this copy (made in Explore in Flickr) I have learned how to approach and produce Product Photography. I don't pursue the perfection (and who does?) but I am 5 steps ahead from where I was before I dared to make the copy.
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