Some Pictures I’ve Liked volume 31: The Cliche Edition

Recently, I noted the list of “cliches within photoblogging” in the Photoblogs.org Wiki; slower.net discusses this topic a bit as well. I’ve certainly been guilty of a few of these cliches myself, but so have some much better photographers. And, as expected of better photographers, they’ve transcended the cliches in some fabulous ways. Take a look at these:

• The Foot Bridge from these fleeting moments; “pictures shot and then modified with stock Photoshop filters”–with, obviously, a great deal of skill and artistry.
• and I was still awake from digitalpeace; “Moody (nude) self-portraiture” (there’s no way to know if Baris K. is actually nude here, but it’s a moody self portrait)
• charlie on sheets from snaps; “your cat” captured in a lovely Polaroid diptych
• toy polloy from gotreadgo; “images shot with a holga (just because you used a holga doesn’t make it good)” (unless the Holga was in the able hands of Tread, of course)
• cliche xp from groundglass; though cross-processing (developing slide film in print chemicals, or vice versa) isn’t on the list, it’s certainly a common practice–made uncommon in this otherworldly shot.
• estepas castellanas from fijaciones; somehow “pretty clouds” doesn’t quite describe this shot. And take a look at the rest of the Cielos Raudos -Color album; you’ll never see clouds quite the same way again.
• Sunset from Wood | Stone; yes, they’re all over the place, and we’re treated to one a night, but that doesn’t stop them from often being wonderful. I especially like the little popcorn puffs of purple clouds in this one.
• Stuck for somewhere to watch the final? from Londonrubbish; as “funny signs” go, this one’s pretty great.
• To the Checkout! from groundglass (again–one of the world’s top photobloggers, and apparently guilty of all the cliches…); yes, it’s a “shopping trolly”, and I’d love to see the shop where it was loaded up–perhaps a Bizarro World Wal-Mart?
• Tiny Prag from dreamprovised; “pictures with Photoshopped tilt shift” seems more like a fad than a cliche to me–everyone’s doing it; but this one manages to be one of the more interesting of an overworked genre, with its rich colors and busy detail.
• Blue light from Odilia Liuzzi; flowers are such a common subject; but the use of shadow here makes for an uncommon treatment.
• Solo flores from 350D; yet more flowers–oh, will they never stop? I love the symmetry of this composition.
• Barn in Early Evening from these fleeting moments; like the “shift tilt” processing above, another recent fad is the “HDR” image; and in the right hands, it’s a breathtaking fad indeed.

Cliches? One and all. Great pictures? I think so.