inspiration vs. imitation

this post by angela crutcher really resonates with me. CLICK HERE to read it.
i have had to deal with this issue first hand (and the names i won't mention here.)

taking pictures has been something i have loved to do since my parents bought me my first camera when i was a 5th grader. (a disk camera, remember those?)over the years i have become more and more passionate about photographing my family...which led to this wonderful small business i have now.
(my dear friend chrissi was a huge influence when it came to going digital and experimenting with pictures of my children.)
i love what i do and what i've created.
the pictures i take for my friends and clients are pictures that i know I would want to have of my family.
laughing together.
being together in our element.
hanging out.
it means so much to me when people entrust me to capture their families. truly, it's an amazing compliment and i don't take it lightly.
sometimes i lay awake at night before a shoot and think of ideas to really make this next family's shoot special and unique to them. i pray about it.
i get the butterflies before every shoot.
and then something wonderful happens each time and the excitement is overwhelming.
i can hardly ever wait to get home and work on that shoot.

when i first saw tara whitney's work five years ago, i was awe struck. (my friend andi introduced me to her.)
her work made me FEEL something.
i had never seen anything like it in the world.
she has inspired me in so many ways, and i've sent her emails telling her so.
i give her a lot of credit for being 'my oprah' in photography.

since starting this business, i have met so many people (locally and nationwide) who have this deep passion for photography as well.
some of these friendships have become invaluable to me because they've become a support system for a job that is pretty much solo.
i appreciate these people who share ideas openly and give words of encouragement.
i can only hope that i offer the same support to them as well. and what i love about them is that they are all ORIGINAL and we all have our own visions for our small businesses. the amount of time and money that we've all invested in this is colossal.

i have (unfortunately) had the experience of reading my bio on another local photographer's site.
i've also seen my packages.
and several pictures that were unique to my clients.
and i can't say that hasn't bothered me.
i have worked REALLY HARD to be my own person in this.
and i think it is sad when other's don't have the dignity to do the same.
(ESPECIALLY LOCALLY!!!)

apparently it happens often enough in this industry that other photographers have posted their thoughts on this issue too.

inspiration vs. imitation. there is a line and it should never be crossed.

when it is, it only hurts the imitater in the long run.


just some food for thought.


XOXOXOXO