Banned subject matter

As usual Roger Hicks' column in the AP this week provided some food for thought.

I propose a ban form now on on all cliched photographs of sunsets and swans, would anyone care to join me or propose a similar ban on other tired and hackneyed subject matter?

Why should you ban it?

So you want to stop the joy and fun of people new to photography taking their first sunset or swan and comparing their efforts against others. I think photographs are like fashion - its all been done before.

Couldn't agree more, would have a negative impact on newbies especially on forums also. After all we all try to emulate the great shots of members/ top photographers and need criticism on the work we produce. Learning the basics means taking the basic standard shots as we have all done.

I have had my K-m for just under a year and on Saturday I took my first Swan shot. How will I get C&C if I cant publish it. Did you ever take a Swan or Sunset shot Ken?

Les

I doubt Ken is serious, or at least I doubt he seriously expects the idea to gain any traction

Speaking for myself I have yet to take a decent sunset photo, despite having a dslr of some sort for 2 years now! I do try on occasion, but they're consistently rubbish

I posed the question of a 'ban' and didn't have this site in mind particularly; I was thinking of a more global ban that would force people away from the obvious, banal, tired, hackneyed, boring, and predictable in order to focus attention on the real potential of the amazing medium that is photography.

I don't want to ban hackneyed and meritless stuff, we all produce it(don't we?). I want a ban on people seeing merit in very dull images. I see lots of technical advice and little on how to create interest or why something is interesting.

As soon as I get a decent long lens I'm going to get me a moon shot. Just like all the others here and on Flickr. And I'll be chasing bees with the rest of you as soon as I get my macro.

It would also deny the rest of us the chance to take our version of those shots. I haven't really had a go at a sunset yet as I haven't got around to buying a graduated ND filter, attempts without that tend to produce underexposed horizons or blown out skies.

There is no need to ban anything. The innovative and unusual photos will always get more favourable comments than poor ones with cliched subjects.

What I have always found sad are the people with identikit shop-bought art on their walls, especially Jack Vettriano. All credit to the chap, he's made a fortune from it, but it's all so bland and beige to my eyes. It doesn't mean anything to the people who bought it beyond being a pretty picture. In an age when even point and shoot compacts can produce images that look good blown up to A4 or A3 size why on earth aren't more people printing their best shots of meaningful subjects?

I can see and under stand why a sunset is so appealing but swans?

Is it because they are so assessable.

James

I'm still trying to get a picture of a swan swimming off into a sunset.

Ban sunsets & swan shots Next to sitting on a mountain top alone, early in the morning, sunrises and sunsets are the moments I live for and I would be seriously stumped, even if it makes me a cliché. I see so much beauty I these things, subtle changes is shades, colour & tone and not forgetting dusk light shining through swans wings, translucent light illuminating swan beaks, reflections on droplets of water, arrgh I must stop before I start wondering lonely as cloud!!!!

On a more serious note the town I live in has quite an industrial feel that is transformed dramatically when the sun starts to rise or set, the subtle changes in light have encouraged me to constantly revisit areas I probably would have very quickly become board with and as a result my camera would have several hundred less clicks or possibly ended up on ebay. We can all become bored with certain types of picture and as a consequence see them as inconsequential. For me all my sunsets are an attempt to let the viewer see what I see, to capture a moment and the trouble is I always fall short of the mark. So until I do manage to bottle that emotion in a single image and get it out of my system, more of the same I'm afraid

Mike-P wrote:
Here's one I took earlier (several years ago in fact)
link

Andy

I just knew someone would have one .. wasn't expecting such a quick reply though.

photography is about individual choice and freedom of choice(if you dont like the photos dont comment, we are all learning all the time.