Happy New Year everyone! Hope the holidays were good to you all, I've enjoyed some time off.
Matt M. wrote in post #16569356
This has been my experience, as well. However, I find myself avoiding certain types of photographs - certain threads here - when I'm going to be shooting similar subject matter. I feel like it can stifle creativity. Looking at dozens of photographs on POTN does not have the same effect as visiting an art gallery, or perusing the work of Adams or Bresson.
I found this interesting as when I'm visiting new places, I now try to avoid seeing too many photographs of the place and its points of interest so as not to ingrain the postcard vision of it (reproduced ad infinitum) before even visiting. I find that this affects my enjoyment of the place negatively as both a tourist and a photographer/camera carrier.
I read some articles about the idea of Photography Tourism when I was at University and the idea of people (photographers mainly) being attracted to certain cities or areas not just to photograph them, but to get their own version of 'the shot' from that particular area or city.
These articles made me think about the experience you get of a place when you're chasing down an image you already had of it, whether it's the postcard image or the Ansel Adams Half Moon (is it the Half Moon - or is that the name of a local pub? I feel like I only remember half of any pertinent information). There's a wider theme within tourism itself of the place not being the sum of its famous monuments but the streets, cafes, bars, etc in between and if you miss these and skip from Cathedral to Skyscraper to Park, then you miss a lot, but it's true also of Photography - if you're going around looking for shots you've already seen, you're missing plenty of new ones.
As Allen says though, looking at similar material isn't necessarily a bad thing. Back in my own Photographic dark ages, photographing Motorsport as I once did, I used to watch the Steve McQueen film 'Le Mans' the night before any day shooting. I wasn't going to be photographing at 1970s era La Sarthe, but the cinematography was superb and captured so much of that event at that time, it was always an inspiration.
Nowadays, as a Theatre Photographer, I take the opportunity, where possible, to watch the performance before photographing it - or at least some form of video clip - because this prepares me better to try and capture something that may be very hard to anticipate and very fleeting. The content of the piece may thus not be new to me, but the photograph will still be an original capture, as I'm selecting a moment from within a continuum as any other.
However, I try not to look at existing photographs of a given piece, and try to avoid comparing my abilities with others doing similar work to myself as I'm confident of my own ability and don't feel the need to make a contest of it in my own mind. I'm happy to see others work when I find it, particularly interesting projects and ideas pieces - of which I have a book or two that I find quite useful such as a Dressing Rooms book by Sergio Parra which I often look at during Rehearsals projects. The work isn't the same but the standard is very high and helps influence and inspire.
Off away for another couple of days now, Spanish Christmas time ... bye!
I was think'n that the trapezoidal pattern on the side walk and the stride tied it in with the others? 
