"Colin.D" wrote in message
...


Peter wrote:

Last weekend I went to the beach with a friend, who is an excellent
photo artist. We simultaneously saw the same shot. His was far superior
to mine, simply because he shot from a slightly different angle. In my
excitement, I never realized the alignment of a sunbeam reflection with
some seaweed, until it was too late. Had he explained the alignment
before he shot, the picture would have really been his, not mine. Yet it
was a good learning experience for me.

What you have described is a prime example of education in operation. Next
time you take a photograph that experience will impact to some extent on
how you see the next subject.

Your interpretation of the image as being your friend's if you took his
advice is not so; he is educating your sense of composition. If it were
the case, then few of us would 'own' our images as we would have to
attribute them to all of our educators and mentors, right back to primary
school.


I do not really disagree. I think there is a very fine line between
inspirational education and outright copying.

If my instructor set up the shot and all do is press the shutter, morally it
is not my shot.

Compare with, I visualize a shot and my instructor shows me how to
technically accomplish my vision.

That is just my opinion. Perhaps I'm being overly sensitive, but if I am
presenting an image as an example of my creativity, it ought to be my
creativity, not someone else's. The way I see it, that is the difference
between an artist and a hack.

--
Peter