It's 10PM. Do you know where your photos are?

Recently, someone asked the question if I secretly take photographs of people in public or am I overt about my photography. He phrased that question this way, "Do you steal pictures or take them?"

His question lead me to think of this topic. You may ask - What was the brilliant sequitur that led from his question to your topic "It's 10PM. Do you know where your photos are"?
Well, it's not hard to answer: I have the attention span of a gnat.

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When the gentleman used the phrase of "stealing pictures", I realized I stole other people’s pictures.

You may ask - What do you mean by "stealing other people’s pictures"?

Well, I'm glad you asked. You know, sneak into their house at night, and grab their Compact Flash Memory cards, the photos off of the wall, too. Just kidding.

What I really mean - those times when I notice somebody figured out a great vantage point to compose a presumably great image.

In such cases, I just wait, pretending to be interested in something else, "Oh look! A new menu item on my camera! How Exciting!"

But as soon as they leave, I run to their spot and clik, clik, clik....

Then, after my completely random shots, I calm down and actually try using my underused brain to figure exactly what they were composing.

I believe this compulsion is diagnosed as "Shot-Kleptomania".

I didn't compose that shot. It was somebody else's; I'm just a copy cat. It all makes me feel guilty, but not enough to stop. Yep. Textbook case of Shot-kleptomania.

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As a matter of fact, while I'm confessing, I think I've stolen shots right out of travel guides, too!

- The cliché shot from Carlton Hill looking over Edinburgh - Yep. Did It.

- cliché shot from Notre Dame, “cleverly” looking with the Gargoyle over Paris. Yep. Copied that too.

- cliché shot from the volcano looking down at Waikiki. Yep. I'm so shameless.

- Oh! I have years of the Thomas Jefferson memorial that is so-cleverly-framed-by-the-cherry-blossoms.
Same shot, different year. Yawn.

I have no idea who first took that shot years ago, but I'm compelled to take that same ...[yawn], excuse me....take the that same shot every year. What's with me?!

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I know I'm not alone in this. So 'fess-up and here are my questions for you:

Does everyone suffer from CSC (Cliché shot compulsion), like me?
Does everyone suffer from Shot-Kleptomania as I do?
Finally, what do you do to get something unique?
Please tell me, so I can copy it. ..... Ugh! ..... This is bad, I can't stop!

(c) 2007