The current Cape Henry Lighthouse from inside the stairwell of the original.
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I’ve had plenty of people tell me that my photos remind them of postcards.  To be honest (and absolutely no offense intended), that’s more of an insult than a compliment – and here’s why (at least from a photographer’s perspective).  One of the main goals of any professional photographer is to be different, to separate their work from all others.  A postcard is a tourist souvenir that simply showcases where you are.  You can share it with others or keep it for your scrapbook.  Point is, it’s usually a simple image of the surrounding area – nothing incredibly creative (keep in mind I’m strictly talking about the image postcards, not the creatively designed ones).  So even though I wouldn’t mind if my images landed on postcards some day, a significant part of me lashes out inside when I hear “your photo belongs on a postcard.”

Now here’s the disclaimer…

In my early days I actually used to go straight to the postcard racks to see if I could recreate the images I found there and I usually could.  Fast forward to today and you’ll still find me looking at the racks, but now I look to make sure I’m NOT shooting the same stuff.  Sure, everybody wants to take the pretty images of any locale.  So once you’re done shooting like everybody else, take the tourist hat off and BURN IT.  Then spend the next 15 minutes or day or weekend shooting unique images.