The weeks are passing quickly, too quickly and the workload is relentless especially as my consulting practice has become busy and I’m working many more client days than I had expected which is good but wasn’t in the plan when I signed up for this course! So again, this has been a week of keeping my head above water!

This week’s theme poses yet another interesting theme for me, have others shaped my photographic practice? I would have to say at least consciously not at all. I never set out to become or be like any of the photographers that I really admire such as David Bailey, David Yarrow, or Ivo Peters (a famed railway photographer!). I know the genres I like to shoot but do I give them a Phil Tugwell personal style probably not, do I copy, replicate, take inspiration from others again probably not. As I said in week topic 2, I’m a shoot first photographer any thought processes about the why and what it shows are either later or more likely fleeting thoughts in my mind never to be found again!

My attitude to drawing on the ideas of others in photography is something I’m just being to think about in the development of my photographic practice. However, with my consulting role I frequently draw on others work to guide, provide inspiration, or look to build on. I have relied over on the years on the concept of CnD which means copy and develop! So not plagiarism but taking the inspiration of work and building upon it and adding a personal slant, I guess the best analogy is the comparison of the Volkswagen Golf and Seat Ibiza very different cars but built on the same chassis!  

For me plagiarism is outright copying either part or the whole of piece of work whatever field it is in. It is not something I ever intend to do in any part of my life, but it is difficult not to use visual or written pieces as inspiration however subconsciously. I think the test is does a piece of work look sufficiently different that no one will think I’ve just copied it!

This week’s Image is from the Tour of Britain stage 3 finish in Warrington