The power of suggestion is real and can be an influential factor in how we perceive things, especially our photographs. When someone plants a seed, good or bad, we often subliminally respond to that suggestion.
If you post an image online and the first response or reaction is that it is a bit dark; in some ways that can influence other people’s thoughts about the image. I was a moderator on an online photography forum for years and I saw this happening all the time.
In many ways I feel the same is true when we head out into the field to photograph something. The people we are photographing with can influence our photography. This can be a plus or minus.
All of the iconic shots, have been interpreted by other photographers, making it hard for someone to see these with truly fresh eyes. When visiting these locations, we are influenced to some degree by what others have presented. So for me, if I am planning a trip somewhere iconic, I try really hard to avoid looking at images from that location before going. With social media and the internet this is hard to do as we are all curious and as photographers we enjoy seeing how others view different scenes and situations. I am not saying that I avoid all images created by others-I am simply trying to free my mind of other’s viewpoints before going to that specific location.
When no one else is around and we have no preconceived ideas about what we are viewing— this is when we are forming our very own thoughts. Thoughts that are free from the power of suggestion, free from other ideas of how it could or should be presented.