I Copied a David Muench Picture and it Never Sold!
As a student of photography, I thought copying others signature images would make me famous. I was wrong!
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I Copied a David Muench Picture and it Never Sold!
I am here to confess. A long time ago I copied a David Muench picture and tried for years to sell it as a stock photo. When I say copy, I mean I went looking for the exact spot the David took his photo so I could essentially copy it.
If you don’t know who David Muench is he is often referred to as the Ansel Adams of color photography. The most famous color landscape photographer probably in history.
I copied one of his published pictures way back when I was a student at the Brooks Institute of Photography in the 1970s. It was my very first class and the instructor had us study many of the well-known photographers throughout the history of photography I chose David Muench. As I looked at his photography I quickly became a huge fan and he’s been my hero since those early days. He was a groundbreaker, capturing countless never-before-seen locations in new and innovative ways like many of the early landscape photographers did.
Many times I wished I had entered the business when David Muench had because It must have been easier forging a career. If you documented the landscape where nobody spent much time, then every image would be a new, never-before-seen image.
And there were fewer photographers meaning less competition.
Now, In reality, I'm sure it was not that easy. Most likely, many of the battles would have been the same as they are today: working hard to build name recognition; finding clients; creating unique imagery; and building a successful business.
That picture of his that I copied was taken while I was a student and making my first trip to Death Valley with another student. I had seen Davids's photograph of Lake Badwater and as a new student of photography; I wanted to emulate my hero.
My buddy Tom and I arrived at Lake Badwater (better known as Badwater) before sunrise and I quickly started trying to figure out where David had photographed his image. Fortunately, it didn't take long to locate the rock out there in the water. I set up my 4 x 5 camera and moved it left and right trying to get close to the same composition as David’s picture.
Then Tom hollered out to me, "Does it have to be exactly the same?"
Well, his comment went in one ear and out the other. Of course, it had to be exactly the same or as close as I could get it. The reason was simple: I wanted my work to be as good as that of David Muench, and the best way to do that I thought at the time, was to shoot like him so I did.
Back in the office, I placed my image of Badwater in my growing stock photo files, and over the years, I sent it out on countless submissions to photo editors hoping I could get it published and if it did it would validate that I was as good as David Muench.
But it never sold and I wondered Why?
In my opinion, the photo was as good as David’s. Maybe the publishers I was sending it to had already seen David’s image and even published it. Or maybe it was bad karma for copying another photographer’s picture.
I don’t know the reason, but It’s common for photography students to emulate the work of others. It's part of the learning process. We study their use of light and how it shapes the land and how they compose the grand scenes before them. A few years after college I learned that attempting to duplicate the work of other photographers may be good for learning but less so for business.
David Muench
If you look at today's photography markets and how many more working photographers are out there you cannot help but wonder how much image emulation takes place. I've heard other photographers and workshop students discuss whether they've been to a certain location and "got the shot." It's that urge to photograph places that we see published and have never visited that drives much of our decision-making on where and what to shoot. It's not so much our desire to engage in smart business decisions or what we should photograph as it is to have the experience of shooting these places where “everybody shoots.”
Many photographers competing in the markets have all the usual locations covered: Delicate Arch, Half Dome, Horseshoe Bend, Mount Rushmore, and countless more. The desire to get the shots we see published is often mistaken as a good business practice. But is it really?
Is emulating others good for business?
Here’s an example: If you visit Zabriskie Point in Death Valley you might very well find photographers lined up shoulder-to-shoulder for the same shot. Certainly, not all of them are there to take photos that they hope to market and license. But some are, and that means competition with the same shot taken on the same day.
When you start doing your market research you will find there are only so many calendar publishers. The photo buyers for these companies see many new and striking compositions, but they also see many of the same locations shot in the same old way.
As the market gets more and more crowded, photographers hoping to prosper, or simply survive, will have no choice but to innovate rather than emulate. We do not have the option of redesigning the landscape with new rivers, mountains, and oceans like some computer games. Instead, we have what we have: national parks, wilderness and natural areas, the coastlines, the wildlife, and they have all been photographed before we came on the scene. The challenge for you is to look at these areas in a new way.
Shoot old locations in new ways
Photographers doing something innovative will rise above the crowd. Consider the photo editor's job: they not only need to search for photos but to find new talent to work with. We see this all the time in the major publications dedicated to photography. They showcase the work of photographers who do it differently.
Those creative thinkers who have a different take are the ones grabbing the image sales and assignments. No matter how long you've been in the business, the need to innovate, experiment, and do things differently should be a high priority.
I see pictures published of places I have never been and I certainly wish to go there myself. I will but only if the locations fit my business plan because I won’t try to emulate pictures I have seen published. The markets are too small these days. I want my work to stand out from the crowd.
and David Muench
Instead, I want to think like David Muench. He went to locations rarely if ever photographed. He discovered magical places and was the first to photograph many locations that are popular with photographers today.
I am blessed to call him a friend now as I have interviewed him many times for my YT Channel and he has shared a wealth of insights with me. David was fortunate because he had little competition in the early days and most places had not been discovered with a camera. So that is your challenge: photograph the popular locations in a new ay and seek locations that have not been photographed.
For me, I will continue to honor David Muench’s work and will do so only by looking at and enjoying his photography.
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You are welcome Larry and glad you enjoyed the post. David is amazing and I just chatted with his wife the other day about this post and future ones. I like your gallery of images and it motivates me to look at doing more B&W myself and I will at some point. Have an awesome Holiday!
I went to a Henri Cartier-Bresson exhibition years and years ago, decisive moments, I wanted to do the same, naturally. Great post, great image, Charlie.