Number 21.

There are few photography blogs I have any ounce of respect for. This is mainly due to the fact that they take themselves far too seriously and are usually written by people who are the worlds authority on nothing.
Manchester Photography is one of the only few blogs in my very short list that I have any oodle of time for. Well written and not too serious Mark's view always hits the nail on the head and then some, no messing about. His latest post from his Clichés In Photography (see here) got me thinking;

Why, oh why do people still insist on producing large bodies of work on what has gone before, and more so; why oh why do they get such credit for their re-worked achievements.

I was faced with a difficult task last week when I was commissioned to shoot a large warehouse (The Torpedo Factory in my last post). The obvious thing to do in these circumstances is to shoot the interior with everything symmetrical, just like anyone else would. But I really struggled with this and wanted to do something different. I switched my camera to a panoramic format which although against my instincts did give me a different perspective and feel from a large view camera and I think I may have pulled it off. I believe a lot of photographers (myself included) tend to shoot what has gone before in the first instance. Its a security blanket of sorts, you know you have something. Then and only then can the photographer go on and spend the time (if they have it ) to produce a more unique body of work. This is why its so important to sit down on a dusty chair and give yourself time to think allowing the dust to settle before embarking on the shoot which will produce the best images.

Anyhoo, back to Mark's post. I think Detroit (the place in question) is one of those places where photographers cannot help but shoot what has gone before. I have seen countless projects, particular within the once enormous car industry, on Detroit (almost as many as the likes of Chernobyl or the Salton Sea for instance) and to be honest they all look the same. But this will never stop people from re-hashing the work and producing a Cliché.