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The Ultimate Cliche List
NOTE: This is NOT a rant about clichés! I'm simply trying to collect all of the common cliché's to save people time when they want to shoot one, want to parody them, include as many as possible in one shot, or want to complain about them and can't find a sufficientlAy inclusive listing. Feel free to add more, or clarify the ones listed, or even show examples. Please do not gripe about how cliché cliché threads are.  If it helps, think of this as a celebration of widely-used existing motifs instead of a listing of cliches; the concept is the same. Locations Train tracks Under a waterfall Graveyard, especially in goth clothing. Girl sitting on toilet (Except, of course, for national ad campaigns such as Candie's) Room wallpapered with newspaper; floor covered with same (Extra points for wearing a newspaper dress) Laundromat (extra points for lingerie and/or being inside a washer or dryer) Sitting on luggage next to deserted highway (or railroad tracks) Seamless paper (extra points if the background lights, stands, or such is visible) Wrinkled ('wronkled' on MM) fabric or muslin Under the Welcome to Las Vegas sign Hollywood sign in background Beach Desert Props or Wardrobe Caution Tape (Unless, of course, used on the cover of a fashion magazine such as Zink!) Angel's Wings (Unless, of course, used in an international ad campaign such as Victoria's Secret or Diesel) Fairy Wings Mermaids School girl uniform / cheerleader wardrobe Swimsuit with high heels (Extra points if nowhere near water) Bra and panties (or bikini) with a gun (Extra points for machine guns) Belt-bra or only belts as wardrobe Cowboy hats Electrical tape Xes over nipples Gas mask Hard hat, tool belt, and skimpy clothing (or nothing) Wearing clothing made from newspaper(s). (Extra points if in a room wallpapered with newspaper.) Man's shirt, tie, and nothing else 'Charlieâs Angels' with a gun (Except, of course, to advertise Charlie's Angels)) Wearing only a mask Lingerie and trenchcoat (fedora optional) (Unless, of course, you're Agent Provocateur) Girl wearing [only] a team jersey (Extra points for football helmet w/antiglare makeup under the eyes) Fur-lined parka hoods, close-up of face. (Mirrored sunglasses extra) Goth girl lying in bathtub full of blood Girl lying in bathtub full of milk (Extra credit for cereal) Lying on back on back of motorcycle Samurai sword shot Nude wrapped in American (British, Canadian) flag Topless girl in boxing shorts and boxing gloves Unzipped pants and a stack of M&Ms or Skittles covering parts American Beauty rose petals Poses One arm up behind the head Pose Birth of Venus (Unless, of course, you're Botticelli) Peering over your glasses/sunglasses Grabbing your own boobs Pose Hand-bra Thong stuck on the heel of high-heel shoe On knees spread apart at the beach Teasing down panties or bikini bottoms on one side Finger in mouth, looking 'coy' On hands and knees, facing away from camera, looking over shoulder Running while carrying sheer fabric trailing behind you. (Extra points for beach or desert locations.) Misc. Handprints all over the model Pouring water over self Short-shorts, crop-top, washing a car Imaging Effects Selective color (Except, of course, in international jewelry advertisements such as for Leslie Greene) Sepia Pseudo-HDR look Fake Lens Flare Fake 'Polaroid' border Ultra-wide angle with enormous foot close to camera Ultra-wide angle shot making head look huge and body tiny Meta-Clichés Lists of clichés Complaining about clichés Complaining about lists of clichés Jul 22 08 10:32 pm Link In addition, there are many cliché-referencing threads on MM. Here are some of the key ones. Photography Talk > The Ultimate Cliche List. (My collection of top clichés for reference purposes. Currently 130+ posts [This thread]) Photography Talk > allusion vs. cliche Photography Talk > pleez, no more angel wings on girls (50+ posts) Photography Talk > Cliches... (15+ posts) Photography Talk > cliché Photography Talk > 'hand/arm bra' shots Photography Talk > Split toning.. Is this the new caution tape? Photography Talk > Rail Road Tracks Photography Talk > Over done pose....... (Handbra) Photography Talk > 5 of the Most cliche Themes... Add to the list (80+ posts) Photography Talk > photo cliches (10+ posts) Photography Talk > The Unofficial List of Cliche ideas. General Industry > Are studio photographs becoming cliche?? (60+ posts) General Industry > Cemetery shoot--too cliche'd and overdone? General Industry > cliche General Industry > Time to retire these ideas... (40+ posts-with some examples of lots-of-clichés in one shot) General Industry > Most Overused Cliche Cheesy Prop ? (100+ posts) General Industry > Stop with the model holding up a picture frame!!! (80+ posts) General Industry > Models with guns! General Industry > most overused photo concepts or themes! (100+ posts) General Industry > What do wings and cowboy hats have in common? General Industry > Belt as a bra General Industry > Resolution: Let's Not Photograph These Cliches (110+ posts) General Industry > angel wings and guns General Industry > Caution Tape the most overused Photo Cliche or... (130+ posts) General Industry > Fur lined parka hoods... General Industry > Selective Coloring. General Industry > Is the gas mask the new caution tape? (80+ posts) General Industry > If I see one more model in front of the Jesus wall (Location clichés) General Industry > Angel wings. ('Stop it. Just..... stop.') General Industry > Angel Wings (Ask for where-to-buy, gets cliché comments) General Industry > I don't shoot angel wings.... General Industry > Which nude cliche' do you hate the most? (60+ posts) General Industry > Cliche photos we actually like: General Industry > Manual of cliche shots? General Industry > Up 'n Coming Cliche... MASKS ! (25+ posts) General Industry > Moratorium. Photo Cliche Number 1. General Industry > What are cliché photographs? (160+ posts) General Industry > Cliche / over used poses (50+ posts) General Industry > Cliche Photo Thread(s)? General Industry > What cliche will you NEVER shoot ? (200+ posts) General Industry > How Soon Will These Be The Next Cliche? (25+ posts, colored bubbles) General Industry > No more caution tape and fake blood... (45+ posts) General Industry > The Obligatory Cliche Photo - protect yourself General Industry > Overdone shots you'd like to see go away for good (200+ posts, started 10/22/09) General Industry > Most irritating clichés (100+ posts, started 12/31/2007) General Industry > List of clichés (Started 3/19/2010) General Industry > Glamour Cliches: The (In)Complete List Model Colloquy > no more hand-over-boob shots...... (130+ posts) Model Colloquy > Fur hat shots - overdone or still looking good Hair, Makeup & Styling > please lose the wings Hair, Makeup & Styling > April cover of Zink- Caution Tape?!?!?! Ewww Critique > When did this become a cliche? (Wheatfields) Off-Topic Discussion > The List of Tired Cheezy Overused Props Off-Topic Discussion > no more parka hoods, please (146 posts, locked) Off-Topic Discussion > no more bland parka hoods, please (55 posts, locked, follow-up) Off-Topic Discussion > Are balloons the new caution tape? Off-Topic Discussion > She Gave Me "the Finger Off-Topic Discussion > Photography Pet Peeves... (Labeled pet peeves, but the first entry is RR tracks and angelwings) Deliberate clichés Critique > Cliche photos (deliberately shooting cliché images) General Industry > Cliche Photo Contest - Official Posting Thread. (65+ posts) General Industry > Cliche Photo Contest Winner (35+ posts) General Industry > For Eric M-B and all you cliche lovers General Industry > Concept Shot of the Day Contest....CLICHE'S! General Industry > Ultimate Cliche' Shot And, of course, the threads about cliche threads Cliche hate threads.. (25+ posts) The Anti-Cliche! The biggest cliche on this site is... (15+ posts) Cliche hate threads.. (25+ posts) What about the cliche' threads? There's also a site dedicated to photo clichés: PhotoCliches.com. Jul 22 08 10:32 pm Link There are no exceptions to the cliche shot. When used by the rich and famous, it just shows they are bereft of originality just like everyone else. Jul 22 08 10:35 pm Link a sun bleached steer skull over your cooter Jul 22 08 10:38 pm Link lying on back but levitating puppet on strings doll / dummy partially disassembled robot geisha lips plastic molded wig / yarn wig long fabric fluttering in wind Jul 22 08 10:38 pm Link Storm Surge Photography wrote: Kevin_Connery wrote: Jul 22 08 10:41 pm Link Statue breaking with live model underneath Antique camera as prop Jul 22 08 10:43 pm Link digital Artform wrote: Blast! I forgot the puppets and dolls. digital Artform wrote: Had a specific instance of that one. Kevin_Connery wrote: Jul 22 08 10:44 pm Link I can't believe guys are still shootin' chicks in bikinis and heels on bikes. Jul 22 08 10:45 pm Link Crying mascara tears Standing behind a wet pane of glass Jul 22 08 10:46 pm Link Black Ricco wrote: lol Jul 22 08 10:47 pm Link Huge glossy lips (extra points for multi color) Jul 22 08 10:50 pm Link Record albums Jul 22 08 10:51 pm Link Models not wanting to have sex with me. Seriously, I am SO over that one. Jul 22 08 10:51 pm Link digital Artform wrote: digital Artform wrote: Are you looking at my lists? Jul 22 08 10:51 pm Link Attractive men and women. Jul 22 08 10:51 pm Link Anything having to do with the beach. Well, almost anything.   Jul 22 08 10:52 pm Link Eric Haywood wrote:
Jul 22 08 10:52 pm Link Kevin_Connery wrote: hardly necessary. Jul 22 08 10:54 pm Link Wow, I haven't even seen some of these! If I had thought of them, I would have felt clever, too! Thanks! Jul 22 08 10:54 pm Link Model giving the finger. Jul 22 08 10:55 pm Link Sunlight through crotch Jul 22 08 10:55 pm Link ultraviolet paint Jul 22 08 10:56 pm Link People standing People sitting People lying down Jul 22 08 10:58 pm Link Tilted camera glamour. Extra for bad cropping. Jul 22 08 10:59 pm Link Kevin_Connery wrote: Right.....a real public service. Jul 22 08 11:00 pm Link fruit or flower stuck in models mouth...whoops, got that one Jul 22 08 11:01 pm Link Eric Haywood wrote: People jumping Jul 22 08 11:01 pm Link Tall models Short models Thin models Fat models Jul 22 08 11:02 pm Link Men wearing suits! Women wearing dresses! Jul 22 08 11:03 pm Link Portraits Landscapes Editorial Lifestyle Fashion Jul 22 08 11:05 pm Link OP called this a cliche: "Topless girl in boxing shorts and boxing gloves ." Well maybe unless they're real sweaty Jul 22 08 11:05 pm Link It is an interesting exercise to see to what extent one can avoid cliche. Certainly writers work hard at not grabbing the first turn of phrase that 'smacks them on the head.' - so to speak. That said, I'm working on a mermaid image right now. I think I can do it with a fresh execution. Cliche or not. Jul 22 08 11:05 pm Link Ray Savage wrote: As I said: I'm not complaining about them. I've shot a lot of them, and expect to do so in the future, and I expect I'll see a lot of them done well by other photographers as well. Jul 22 08 11:07 pm Link People Animals Things Take the first letter of each word, and ya get "PAT" Yep, PAT is cliche.  Jul 22 08 11:09 pm Link Half a watermelon rind used as a helmet. Jul 22 08 11:10 pm Link Now That's Mean Models and photographers are really gonna have to sit down and think about ther concepts!!! i got some so awesome idea's that i have not seen on here and i seen alot of people profile on MM. Jul 22 08 11:10 pm Link ⢠a portrait of a photographer with a hasselblad under his armpit. extra points for a muslin background. ⢠a portrait of a photographer surrounded by at least half dozen beautiful models. extra points for nekkid models. double extra points for clothed models and nekkid photographer ⢠feather boa. extra points for no clothes. ⢠nekkid model in the woods ⢠a girl on a pool table ⢠a model in skimpy clothes wearing eyeglasses and holding a book, extra credit for library shelves as a background. ⢠laundromat theme ⢠b&w image with red lips. extra credit for red lips and shoes. Jul 22 08 11:11 pm Link I for one have a tough time putting a scantily clothed beauty on a hot bike in the same category as angel wings, caution tape, and gas masks. The former is timeless. It appeals to its target audience, men, on two completely different levels. Depending on the model and or the bike it's sometimes difficult to decide which one you'd rather ride. Jul 22 08 11:11 pm Link I thought I had only done one cliche image until I read the opening thread. Jul 22 08 11:13 pm Link |
