I started a portrait project, seems like someone has beaten me to it - any advice?

Gavjenks · Mar 25, 2014

I'd suggest picking a narrower slice of life and capturing that for each of the people you choose in your town. Similar projects along this line of thinking I have seen before (these have all been done):

- photographing the contents of people's refrigerators
- photographing people's night stands (not allowed to move stuff after you approach them)
- Photographing people in front of a representative spread of a typical week's groceries (logistically difficult and expensive maybe, but was a pretty successful major publication IIRC when they did this cross-culturally, and it was awesome)
- Photographing business owners in representative context of their business (butcher in a meat locker, etc.)

robbins.photo · Mar 25, 2014

Scarlet Siren said:
So, like many, I was inspired by Humans of New York and set out to do my own photo project about the people in my hometown (but I didn't want to use a similar project name). I thought I'd done a enough research to determine whether or not I should pursue the idea/concept (stopping strangers in the street for a portrait but I also want to do more in depth environmental type portrait sessions - I did my first in a secondhand record store the other weekend. I want to create street portraits in my hometown and at the same time give each of the 5-6 areas it's on identity). So I set up my website, Facebook page, twitter account, Moo cards made up and more importantly started take pictures. I even got a little article on a local news website due to my relentless tweeting which was great!

However, it turns someone else has started a Humans of [insert name of my hometown]. And their pictures are great, they seem to be doing really well and they're stuck in to their project - I really like it a lot. But it's left me thinking, despite using a different project name (whilst still identifying the city), I'm essentially doing the exact same thing :/ So now I'm trying to think up ways to distinguish my project from the one I've just come across. I guess our style in capturing photos is kind of different, their style is just like HONY (even the questions are the same), mine not so much (I think).

I know taking photos of strangers is NOTHING new (heck, I even did a 100 Strangers project 3 or so years ago). It's not an original idea. There's lots of HONY inspired projects, I totally get it. But I still feel a little disheartened and I'm just getting my project off the ground. you know? I was so excited to pursue my project and I love my hometown so much that I really do want it to be the focus point of the project and portraits is the thing I love doing the most (especially meeting new people and speak to them- I love it!).

Has anyone encountered this before? or perhaps have any advice? I think my biggest worry right now is that it looks like I'm copying

(Apologies, but I didn't want to name any names just in case it gets anyone in any bother or annoys anyone).

Happy to PM a link to my website if anyone wants to take a look

Ok, well just a thought here - but have you maybe considered focusing not so much on the portrait itself but having these people show you their favorite thing in town and getting a picture of them at that location? That way it's not just about the people themselves but the town as well.

gsgary · Mar 25, 2014

One of my favourite photographers is Elliot Erwitt and we are both into dogs and shoot people with dogs you could try the same, another of my favourite photographers is Bruce Gilden Multimedia - Bruce Gilden

http://www.brucegilden.com/portfolio/london/

Ilovemycam · Apr 5, 2014

Scarlet Siren said:
So, like many, I was inspired by Humans of New York and set out to do my own photo project about the people in my hometown (but I didn't want to use a similar project name). I thought I'd done a enough research to determine whether or not I should pursue the idea/concept (stopping strangers in the street for a portrait but I also want to do more in depth environmental type portrait sessions - I did my first in a secondhand record store the other weekend. I want to create street portraits in my hometown and at the same time give each of the 5-6 areas it's on identity). So I set up my website, Facebook page, twitter account, Moo cards made up and more importantly started take pictures. I even got a little article on a local news website due to my relentless tweeting which was great!

However, it turns someone else has started a Humans of [insert name of my hometown]. And their pictures are great, they seem to be doing really well and they're stuck in to their project - I really like it a lot. But it's left me thinking, despite using a different project name (whilst still identifying the city), I'm essentially doing the exact same thing :/ So now I'm trying to think up ways to distinguish my project from the one I've just come across. I guess our style in capturing photos is kind of different, their style is just like HONY (even the questions are the same), mine not so much (I think).

I know taking photos of strangers is NOTHING new (heck, I even did a 100 Strangers project 3 or so years ago). It's not an original idea. There's lots of HONY inspired projects, I totally get it. But I still feel a little disheartened and I'm just getting my project off the ground. you know? I was so excited to pursue my project and I love my hometown so much that I really do want it to be the focus point of the project and portraits is the thing I love doing the most (especially meeting new people and speak to them- I love it!).

Has anyone encountered this before? or perhaps have any advice? I think my biggest worry right now is that it looks like I'm copying

(Apologies, but I didn't want to name any names just in case it gets anyone in any bother or annoys anyone).

Happy to PM a link to my website if anyone wants to take a look

Well that is just too bad. But in the big picture it does not mean much does it?

It is not like your going to make a ton of $ and fame off the project. Are you getting the work accepted into a museums collection?

Just call your project the home town name and put it on Tumblr. No fudging big deal. I agree, don't copy the HONY name. If your photos are great they don't need the HONY association. To me it would be better to not use that name anyway. There will be tons of others using it for their snapshots. I never gave any thought to using that name nor would I ever use it. I don't even like that name.

But you touched on a very important topic...projects. A photog is happiest when they have a great project to work on. (Or even a poor project can suffice.)

I'm in Amsterdam right now typing this. I flew in last week to shoot a project. The project died once I got here. I had a week to kill and $3000 that was wasted on my project. I'm not into travelouge photos like most of you. I am a museum photog. If my photo is not museum or portfolio worthy...it gets trashed. No burning steel wool, no stair trails, no blurred clouds or smokey water red sunsets with the obligatoy dock for me. My work has to be museum material not Flickr material.

I'm not rich like the 'Traveler' so $3000 is a lot for me to waste. Just by chance, I was lucky to be able to I turn the project into an totally different direction and started to shoot it. Project is going great. Project is pretty unique. I have already shot enough high grade material to stop shooting right now - but I will keep shooting until I leave. I wish my initial project worked out, but that is how it goes sometimes. I'm just happy I lucked into this project.

This year I was also lucky to come up with a few projects no one else has done that are in various stages of completion. One of the projects has tentativley been accepted at the Center for Creative Photography in AZ and the RPS/ National Media Museum UK. But those projects are only half done. They will take another 4 - 5 months of work.

It is hard work for sure. People are always rehashing projects that have been done before. That is how it is with photography. I was told on one forum 'war photos' are cliche. When war photos are cliche...everything is cliche. But we keep on pressing the button and freezing time. It is in our blood.

Great photos need no titles or names...they transcend words.

Good Luck!

Edit...

I forgot to mention. If you guys and gals have a dream don't let anyone poo-poo it. Take my mention of star trails for instance. Linda Connor shot some nice LF star trails in BW.

[video=vimeo;3975861]http://vimeo.com/3975861[/video]

She has been a mainstay for decades in FA photo. So, shoot what you like and not what others brow beat you into shooting. People bash my work all the time. Does not matter to me. If they are not paying me to shoot for them I shoot as I like.