Robert Henri wrote, "All the past up to a moment ago is your legacy. You have a right to it." In other words, we have a right to use others' work as a stepping off point for our own.
A conscious (or unconscious) copy is boring, but building on the work of others (which requires us to diverge from their path) is exciting and creative.
Unfortunately many artistically motivated photographers are unable to grasp this and are so hung up on being "new" and "original" that they cannot create anything significant at all (and then disparage others for not being "new" or "original"). |