Dreaming of the ceile de Paris
Why indeed? Why try to emulate someone who has succeeded in expressing themselves as you feel you wish you could? I find most people have a repulsion toward copying the masters. I just don't understand this negativity to trying to hone your style.
I think one of the main reasons is arrogance. Of course everyone masks it as modesty or a noble sense of respect of their idol. I am almost 100% sure that if, as in my case I try to emulate the style of Daido Moriyama, he became aware of my desire to 'copy' him, he would find it very amusing. No matter how many rolls of TMax I shoot, I will never be able to portray the world as he sees it. I can't see the world as he does! But, I like the 'words' and 'sounds' he uses to describe his world. I enjoy trying to find that sweet spot where he may have been when he created a certain look, and feel. I use the same 'words', but my accent is different. I have to find a way to use my own voice. I have to find a way to describe what I see. Even though we use the same words, we construct our sentences differently. I study others work, try to emulate them, to try to find my own style. I feel it is important to do this, as you need a starting point. It is vital to find your way. The alternative is to be lost in a wilderness.
Unless of course you are arrogant to believe that somehow after 2 or 3 years you have found your voice. In this modern age we expect to have a quick solution. We must have answers at our fingertips. Most masters started out studying past masters, for years in some instances. Only when they had mastered the basics of the language did they start moving toward their own truths. Of course there are a few prodigies. But for the remaining 99.99% of us, start at a place where the formulas have been studied and already defined and refined. There is no way I could ever copy any of Daido's work. I can however use his map as a starting point to finding my own way. And if I find myself traveling the same road has him, I will congratulate myself finding myself there, and then enjoy the view.
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