Carefully Combat Cliches

The world of photography is increasingly oversaturated, but can you add a twist to shots we’ve seen thousands of times before?

- Tom Mackie

Cliché images have become a part of our photography thanks to the various platforms of social media. Locations that were hardly heard of a few years ago quickly become a cliché once photos are put out there on the web and everyone wants to take a similar image. But does that mean we shouldn’t shoot these iconic locations, just because it’s been photographed thousands of times before? Speaking for myself as a professional photographer, I see this as more of an opportunity.

I once stood in the Michelangelo Piazza overlooking Florence, waiting for the sun to set over the city, and a gentleman asked me why I was bothering to photograph a scene that’s been photographed millions of times before. I said, “Because it's been photographed millions of times.”

This scene has become an iconic image that’s recognized worldwide and if I don’t have it I can’t sell it to my clients. That’s not to say that it will look like everyone else’s photos, as weather conditions play a part in making it different and I try to put my own personal style on the scene.