I might be a bit overly dramatic here, but aside from the speaking in absolutes in the title most new work isn’t all that new at all. This includes myself and the work that I have produced. There have just been so many before us and too much work put out that makes it near impossible to create something nobody has seen done before in a similar way.

The Evidence:

    Take a look at the work you have seen done by other artists you like. How much of their work is unlike anything else that already exists? There are so many photographs of places like Yosemite’s Tunnel View and San Fransisco’s Golden Gate Bridge that it feels a bit like overload. The worst thing is, most of what is considered ‘good’ work looks a lot like what we have already seen before.

In Practice:

    There is a lot that goes into an original work. Being creative isn't easy! The composition, processing, subject, conditions, and time of day are all various parts that go into an image. It is still possible to put new work out even in today’s world of places that most don’t go to or haven’t been shot as well as they could be. It isn’t easy though and it takes a lot of hard work, skill, and plain luck to put it all together.

Final Hurdle:

    This is probably going to feel like a gut punch. There is one last thing holding us back from creating original work. We are all influenced by artists that came before us, and if you lean too heavily one way the art you put out will look like a Beatles cover band. It doesn’t mean it's bad art. It just means there is nothing that is identifiably yours and it is easily lost in the noise of someone that preceded you.

Conclusion:

    Most photographers will never make truly original art and that is okay. The world is not filled with Leonardo Da Vinci’s, but many are happy to live in his shadow. However, if you do have the end goal of becoming a photographer that creates original landscape art for sale there are plenty of obstacles in your way.