The Five Percent
People are sheep.
No this isn’t me being condescending and arrogant again. It’s fact.
A study by Professor Jens Krause of Leeds University Biological Sciences Department found that it takes a minority of just 5 percent of what he calls “informed individuals” to influence a crowd of 200 people. The remaining herd of 95 percent follow the 5 percent without even realising they are doing it.
If you think about it, this is entirely logical because after all, we are animals, and we are therefore genetically programmed to follow general animal herding behaviour. We just don’t realise we are being led. In truth most of us (95 percent to be exact) are happy to play follow-my-leader, regardless of whether or not the leader actually knows what he is doing.
Of course you’re all thinking of politics at this point, and you’d be correct of course. But this same principle applies to everything, including photography. Ed Verosky recently lamented photographers copying a certain photographic style originally devised by Jill Greenberg.
Is this a case of the herd instinct taking over? Is plagiarism (Oh God, I used the “P” word and I vowed I’d never do that again) not actually the fault of those that imitate certain styles or images, but simply a result of genetic programming? Is the animal photographer just following the herd because he can’t help it? Is it actually hardwired instinct for the majority of us to follow the photographic fashion of the time, whether that fashion be a lighting style, a pose, a “look,” an idea, or a combination of these factors?
The herd instinct is programmed into 95% of us. Only 5 percent of you out there are actually naturally born innovators, leaders, creators of unique photographic ideas/styles/images etc. So only 5 percent of you reading this actually find it natural to think outside the box, to create something photographically and artistically unique.
You’ve no idea how much I envy you. The rest of us, the remaining 95%, we are merely programmed to follow where you lead.
If you want to move from the 95 percent to the 5 percent, then you have to fight your herd instinct with very fibre of your being. It’s just so easy to march to the beat of everybody else’s drum. But you can’t. You want to be part of the 5 percent. We all do. So you have to learn to fight your genetics, re-program your artist’s brain to actually THINK differently, practice viewing and imagining things from a different perspective. To paraphrase Brooks Jensen, the next time the flock veers left, try wandering off right just for fun, and seeing where the journey takes you.
Yes it will be difficult, challenging and you might not be sure that the end result actually qualifies as artistic, but whoever said making a decent photograph was easy?
No this isn’t me being condescending and arrogant again. It’s fact.
A study by Professor Jens Krause of Leeds University Biological Sciences Department found that it takes a minority of just 5 percent of what he calls “informed individuals” to influence a crowd of 200 people. The remaining herd of 95 percent follow the 5 percent without even realising they are doing it.
If you think about it, this is entirely logical because after all, we are animals, and we are therefore genetically programmed to follow general animal herding behaviour. We just don’t realise we are being led. In truth most of us (95 percent to be exact) are happy to play follow-my-leader, regardless of whether or not the leader actually knows what he is doing.
Of course you’re all thinking of politics at this point, and you’d be correct of course. But this same principle applies to everything, including photography. Ed Verosky recently lamented photographers copying a certain photographic style originally devised by Jill Greenberg.
Is this a case of the herd instinct taking over? Is plagiarism (Oh God, I used the “P” word and I vowed I’d never do that again) not actually the fault of those that imitate certain styles or images, but simply a result of genetic programming? Is the animal photographer just following the herd because he can’t help it? Is it actually hardwired instinct for the majority of us to follow the photographic fashion of the time, whether that fashion be a lighting style, a pose, a “look,” an idea, or a combination of these factors?
The herd instinct is programmed into 95% of us. Only 5 percent of you out there are actually naturally born innovators, leaders, creators of unique photographic ideas/styles/images etc. So only 5 percent of you reading this actually find it natural to think outside the box, to create something photographically and artistically unique.
You’ve no idea how much I envy you. The rest of us, the remaining 95%, we are merely programmed to follow where you lead.
If you want to move from the 95 percent to the 5 percent, then you have to fight your herd instinct with very fibre of your being. It’s just so easy to march to the beat of everybody else’s drum. But you can’t. You want to be part of the 5 percent. We all do. So you have to learn to fight your genetics, re-program your artist’s brain to actually THINK differently, practice viewing and imagining things from a different perspective. To paraphrase Brooks Jensen, the next time the flock veers left, try wandering off right just for fun, and seeing where the journey takes you.
Yes it will be difficult, challenging and you might not be sure that the end result actually qualifies as artistic, but whoever said making a decent photograph was easy?
Labels: IvoryFlame, Philosophy
posted by Lin at 1:02 PM
5 Comments:
Lin, what about those of us who QUESTION outside the box? Who say what no one else will say? Who see an elephant in the room and say, "Omg, there's an elephant in the room! Let's talk about it!" while most others would prefer not to notice.
I know that's not the same thing as being a leader in innovation. But there would be no innovation without recognizing the elephant in the room.
To paraphrase Jack Nickleson.
Sheees Baaaack.
Rich tried. He really did. I think he had 2 maybe 3 good, no damn good posts he was going to do. But then..kids-laundry-ironing-food-dishes- job-editing photos-weather-planet alignment. I feel he was real close. I think if you would have stayed maybe one more day...he would have had it all together with a bow on it for you.
Sure...I just spend 350 bucks on a GPS so I can find my way around in the box. Now you want me to just go wandering off outside the box. All so I can be a 5 percenter and just when I was getting my shit together to be a 1 percenter too. Damn. Oh well my bag had a hole in it anyway.
You've hit the old saying "if your not the lead dog, your view never changes" right on the head.
We just get so comfortable looking at that ass in front of us. We don't like the change, even if what or how we do things is boring, it's comfortable, we know what to expect. We don't like the adrenalin rush of looking out over the edge with no safety belt. Too many what if's play in our heads.
You can look at the dogs harness as a metaphor for the constraints society and our families put on us to subvert change. People would like to be able to post different things on their blog. People would like to go in a different direction in their photography. People would like like to explore but those damn straps hold pretty tight when the what if's and fear of the consequences creep into the equation.
"...but whoever said making a decent photograph was easy?"
de•cent /ˈdisənt/ Pronunciation
–adjective
1.conforming to the recognized standard of propriety, good taste, modesty, etc., as in behavior or speech.
2.respectable; worthy: a decent family.
3.adequate; fair; passable: a decent wage.
I don't think you are asking us to make a decent photograph...But maybe a...defiant or contumacious one.
Ok...Ok. I'll save you the trouble of looking it up.
con•tu•ma•cious Pronunciation[kon-too-mey-shuhs, -tyoo-]
–adjective
stubbornly perverse or rebellious; willfully and obstinately disobedient.
Instead of the "P" word just sub "imitation" or "imitates" with quotes. That way most of the children that read blogs will not know the true meaning, but the adults will.
I have been known to notice an elephant in the room. But up until the last time, when I asked "WTF is that elephant doing here? The response was "we couldn't see it because of the ass in front of us.
Later Gator
D.L. Wood
Great. Now I'm a raving nutter with floppy boobs. All work and no play makes Lin a dull girl, all work and....
Personally I reckon the elephant is the one who has the most fun.
Incidentally, Dr Lightness, you ARE one of the 5 percent. Writers can be innovators too.
Ive always said..in a field with 100 sheep...99 of them being white, and one of them being black..which one do you notice?
bt
The 95% sheep factor is difficult to escape since those might who wish to produce images that run with the 5%-ers often still need to satisfy clients who are, themselves,amongst 95% herd... i mean flock.
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