Does copying other people's photos count as theft or inspiration?

Sean McCormack opinion pieces
(Image credit: Sean McCormack)

There’s an old saying  ‘Good artists copy, great artists steal’. There’s a whole raft of history in this quote from W. Davenport Adams, through T.S. Elliot, to Steve Jobs. Jobs attributed the quote to no less than Pablo Picasso. But what’s the truth in this? After all, Copyright Law protects artists from theft. So is this all just fanciful tosh? 

In all fields of creativity we learn from those that have gone before. Not just photography. Musicians learn the songs of others to become proficient on their instruments. Painters copy paintings to learn the tricks and techniques of the masters. Even writers look to others' poetry or prose to pick out pretty phrases or punctuation. You can’t become proficient without building on a body of work that has come before. Another phrase that resonates here is ‘Building on the shoulders of giants’. 

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Sean McCormack

Sean McCormack is a commercial, and editorial photographer, book author, and regular contributor to Digital Camera magazine based in Galway, Ireland. He has extensive experience with Lightroom, dating back to its original beta version, and has tried out just about every plugin and preset available. His latest book is Essential Development 3: 25 Tips for Lightroom Classic’s Develop Module