We have all heard the word ‘innovation” in commercial or industrial settings, but how about in the creative field? Yes innovation exists even here in photography, its what made every famous photographer successful. They somehow found a way to draw out new emotions, new compositions and or put topics into new light. If you read carefully the word “new” was used to describe almost every point. That’s because in this human world, society is always looking for the “new”. It’s essentially hardwired in our DNA and as a species we appreciate things that are different from the previous version.

But how does “new” play a role in a creative field like photography? How much new can we inject into the art before everything is just a copy of something in the past? I tend to believe that although there may be new topics and ideas to photograph a good majority of them have already been done. That’s why if you search up some of the most famous images you’ll end up seeing two that look very similar. The same photographs at Yosemite or the same photographs of the Golden Gate Bridge. This poses the main copycat problem that photographers and creatives alike all have to face. How can you as a photographer provide a fresh new perspective of the same places and people that have been photographed millions of times before? This is something that I got very interested in researching in 2018 and it took a full two years to finally come up to my conclusion that Innovation in photography isn’t about making something new, it’s all about timing and how you can utilize time to make photographs seem new and unique.

Our Greatest Asset: Time

Time is everyones greatest asset. Every second, every minute fades away from us and never comes back. This is why timing is the root for innovation in photography. There are several ways time leads to innovation in photography.

1.) Time brings back memories. If you’ve ever seen a photograph of a place you once traveled to and felt joy, it’s not because the piece was innovative, its because it brought you back to a time. This is why picture albums of your kids and childhood you hold a special place in our families hearts. Photographs like these bring you back in time. The key to innovating and creating powerful photographs that play directly with our innate human emotions is to draw from the past. Make a relatable photograph from your childhood and see just how powerful images can spark memories just by innovating with a photograph from the past.

2.) A photograph can hold tons of information that can be relevant to the current times. History books wouldn't be the same without photographs. You may have been able to read about Martin Luther King JR. leading the march on Washington but those were just words. It was the powerful photographs that pieced things together. Imagine a world where you only read news with no photos. Innovation in photographing historical events is all possible with timing and as the times change you can create powerful images that will be remembered for decades to come.

3.) Timing itself is an art form. One of the most exhilarating feelings any photographer can feel is nailing timing in a photograph. For street photographers this could mean a perfectly timed subframe, for photojournalist it could mean clicking the shutter just as the action unpacked. Portrait photographers can find themselves in awe after catching a perfectly timed candid of the family they were photographing. Timing can lead to new innovative perspectives and angles that could change the way people look at photography.

4.) Time is photography. When you think of photography what generally comes to mind? For me its a roll of 35mm frames holding exposures made by an operator. The operator in the case, the photographer, holds a one of a kind instrument designed to stop the one thing humans lose every second, time. As mentioned previously, photographs hold history, they hold old memories and for most people photographs are some of the most valuable things they can possess. This is why Facebook albums fill up every year with pictures from easter, Christmas, birthdays etc. This is why every online article starts with a photograph at the top. Photographs from the moon remind us of the accomplishments our country has a made. This is because photography is time and time leads to new innovative ways to make powerful images.

How to apply time to your photography

But my theory on time leading to innovation in photography doesn't really get the everyday photographer anywhere. How can you apply it? For this next segment I will be sharing some ideas that I’ve included into my photography that have helped innovate and find new ways to present may world to the viewer. None of the following is guaranteed but rather are simple guidelines you can follow when you feel like your photography is lacking.

Photographing historical events

This one is for the photojournalists who want to contribute to there world. As a photographer you have the power to provide history’s most precious tool, the photograph. Go out and photograph current events; Photograph rallies, speeches, events that will hold importance overtime. By photographing new and upcoming news you are in trade innovating on what’s currently going on a can provide value to viewers in the future.

Photograph at different times

If you’ve only seen Yosemite in the winter, shoot it in the summer. If you’ve only taken photographs during golden hour, shoot them at night. Theres always something on the opposite side of the spectrum that you can try. This could be especially challenging when you’ve fallen into the comfort zone of photography where you want to stay consistent with something that has worked in the past. But remember, by continuing to do that, you are not innovating. Staying in the same circle won’t get you outside of the box, it’ll just keep dragging you into the same cycle so head for those corners.

Make photographs that aren’t trendy

It’s very easy nowadays to play onto the local trends in photography especially in this instagram centric era. To better understand why you shouldn’t photograph what’s trending lets take a closer look at how photography trends are made. It all starts with one photograph that takes the same basic principles but innovates off of a previous idea or subject. You see innovation doesn't always have to be new, it just has to be new to us. Variations, different lighting, timing can all be part of an innovative photograph and as long as it looks like something we never seen before it’s essentially “new”.

After successfully making an old image new this photograph makes it circles through the instagram algorithm and is picked up by users. Some click the like button and are impressed and others are in the comments section with their jaws on their keyboard. Next thing you know, more and more people are liking and commenting, sharing even. Then a week later another image pops up that is very similar to the first. Then another one, and another. Well guess what, that photograph created a trend.

The problem with this comes in the form of repetition. Everyone has seen photographs of the Eiffel Tower. Everyone has fought to be in the same exact spot Ansel set his tripod up in Yosemite. It all becomes too repetitive.

The way around this issue is simple; Don’t create trendy photographs. Take some time to actually challenge yourself the next time you want to photograph the Golden Gate Bridge. Find new interesting perspectives and seep through different areas like water in volcanic rock. Explore a little, find new fresh ways to present the same old topic. That’s all we’re really doing, finding way to innovate pushing away current trends and creating new photographs.

Time doesn’t make good photographs, it sets them up.

What makes a good photograph anyway? Is it time? Or are good photographs formulated by opinion? I tend to choose the latter because not every photograph will appeal to everyone. People are allowed to have opinions on a photograph and something like time will never control whether an image is good or bad its just too loose of a variable. But what time does do for a photograph is set it up to be consumed by humans. Whether it means uploading a photo at the right time or presenting a photo online of live sporting events. It could be the photograph of Kobe on his rookie debut that is now cherished by millions. Time is our greatest asset and so if you can play with time and utilize it to draw emotion out of an individual you will more than likely create more powerful images and if you do this consistently, you could be deadly.

There are many ways you can innovate in photography not being limited to just time. This is just what I’ve found after breaking down exactly why we as humans enjoy certain photographs more than others. I may be completely wrong and this whole entire article could have just been a waste of time BUT this is something I believe to be true and will continue to follow in my photography. Thank you all for reading, I hope this article has made a positive impression into your day. Check me out over on instagram @kingjvpes or on my YouTube channel!

Photography Innovation - Why every Second is Crucial to making Images.