To be original or to copy....

I have been doing photography as a professional for many years . When I started I have been very lucky to meet and to be friend with some of the best photographers in Sailing . From the beginning I always had a very high respect of the job of my collegues. To be photographer is not always glamour as public think, but I do not want to do something else. I love photography and specialy action sailing photography. During my second Whitbread in 1993/94 I met Carlo Borlenghi (ITA) . He is and have always been one of the top guy in our job. I learnt from him so many trick and have shared a lot with him, all around the planet. I would like to think he is one of my best friend. One thing we have in commun is passion for quality, and the quest to THE photo. 

I remember a trip we did together in 1997 during Whitbread Stopover in Fremantle(AUS) To Sydney. We had spent a week in Syndey (sharing hotel room, car, food, etc...), working non stop from sunrise to sunset, with one mandatory thing, we should have an Italian meal per day which is not very hard in Sydney. It was just after Sydney got 2000 Olympics games. We never copy the other one, even doing photos of same places at same time.

Few years ago, as we were both in Sydney for Sydney to Hobart race, we have ordered a housing each for our Canon 1Ds mark II. Carlo had since a long time an idea of photos from water surface , playing with wave. The guy we met in Sydney ( from Aquatec) have been very surprise by Carlo idea to connect a video camera on view finder and be able to see image trough a pair of very special "sunglasses" 

 My way was not the same . I had more interest to do onboard photos in wet condition with flash, remote control ( Multihull, AC boats, etc...). And never I will have do the same photo than Carlo. 

I am sad to see so many sailing photographers to simply copy day after day what Carlo had in mind an do since a long time . Part of our job is to be creative, NOT to copy ideas from an other photographer. 

It's obvious when you buy a wide-angle lense or a 600mn you can  have photography which look similar to  somebody else using same lenses.

But why just copy and do the same than an other photographer ? I do not see the value.

In writers world or music world Copy is called plagiarize. No journalist will copy a style or do a copy/paste of somebody job. So why some of my collegue don't have more respect for other original ideas? 

Sydney Opera and Harbor bridge at sunset - 24 Feb 2006

When I was Alinghi team photographer , I have been asked in Valencia to copy Carlo, and do photos with waves as Carlo do. I have always said no. Not I was not able to do the photo, but it was an idea devellop by an other photographer, and did not want to copy him. An other photographer did it for the team , and it was not Carlo. The Team should have asked Carlo to do it, but in AC world it was not possible for Carlo to work with us ... so the team should not have that image.

How can we value our job, if we do not have respect between us. Competition is a big part of our professional life, so guys, please respect yourself and other. I do not think it's fair to copy .

To buy all equipment do not make you a photographer. 

Am I stupid? Possible but for me respect is more important...