Old Images or Cliche?

Often when I post one of my images, I add some technical detail or history as a sort of 'learning moment'. This habit dates back to my decades as a TV forecaster. Consultants hated this ("Never make the audience think!") but like most good TV mets I tended to ignore them. Recently, however, it was my followers that did the teaching.

One of my recent 'Throwback Thursday' images was a sunrise shot taken decades ago in Arches National Park. When I first got serious about photography, I tended toward the obvious postcard scenes, often researched by checking out the visitor center or galleries around town. Eventually I began to find my own voice and went my own way, as it were. But some of those old landmark images are still pretty good and I'm glad I have them.

The problem is that some of these old images have become photographic clichee. Two major trends have developed in landscape photography since about 1990. First is the development of the internet and social media. The second is the explosion of digital cameras and smart phones. The result is that locations that used to be known mostly by word of mouth now attract hundreds, if not thousands, of photographers and selfie-takers.

A good example is this innocent shot I took in Antelope Canyon, in about 1900, on my first 35mm camera. I found Antelope using a hand-drawn map from a friend of mine. My girlfriend and I parked along the highway, hiked back into the canyon, and had the place mostly to ourselves. I really didn't know what I was doing, but spent hours experimenting with exposure times (the meter didn't go past 1 second!) and ended up with a handful of nice shots on drug store slide film. Fast forward almost 40 years, and Antelope Canyon is a crowded and expensive tourist attraction, and doing any serious photography there is almost impossible. And images that used to be unique are now a dime a dozen.

But here's the thing: even after I apologized for my 'mature' Turret Arch photo, I got dozens of surprisingly positive comments! Turns out, far from being bored, most of my followers had never seen the formation and were fascinated by the image. I even got compliments from a couple of local photographers! So maybe I should be less concerned about what other people are shooting (or posting!) and worry more about just making good images. A beautiful sunrise shot at Mesa Arch or Antelope Canyon is still beautiful, no matter how many times it's been done. And maybe those old film shots of Arches or Antelope Canyon are getting a second wind.

A very old shot of Antelope Canyon, taken on dime store film in about 1990!