Self-play is a concept that I find fascinating: artificial intelligence can learn how to play games -like chess- by playing against itself over and over. Starting from scratch, with no knowledge of what works and what doesn't, machines eventually come up with strategies and plays that surprise even grandmasters, who reward them as "creative".

This made me think about photography: how we look for inspiration in other photographers' work, and the value of experimentation.

Studying the old masters

I wonder how much other photographers' work limits our own.

When we study the old masters, we are looking at the work that has, so far, worked and resonated with the public. By drawing inspiration from them, are we closing the door to new and radical ideas? We might seek to create similar work to theirs, maybe even unconsciously. This kind of inspiration would be limiting ourselves, then.

Standing on the shoulders of giants

"The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know" - Albert Einstein

Of course, something like self-play in photography is very, very hard, if not impossible. We don't live in a vacuum and we have visual influences everywhere around us. So even if we don't know the work of many photographers, we are aware of what is attractive and what's not.

Besides, there are many lessons to be learned from the masters of photography. I believe photography books are a great investment.

Perhaps, study the masters and then get rid of them (kill the masters, free the slaves). When we approach photography with an open mind, not playing it safe and trying other than the traditional processes, new ideas might emerge.

How to apply self-play to your photography

The photography version of self-play would be to get out and experiment like it's the first time we use a camera. Some ideas:

• Look for inspiration elsewhere - there's no shortage of inspiration in the world: in nature, in people, in non-visual arts (music, poetry...)... or within us.
• Pay close attention - What's around you that you might have overlooked? This is how some of my ongoing projects were born: NO, Shadows and Windowless Homes are just a few examples.
• Radical compositions - cut your subjects, place them on the corners. Use different aspect ratios: I've been enjoying panoramas, even vertical!
• Embrace randomness - use slower shutter speeds and shoot while walking -don't stop-; try long exposures; capture shapes by shooting out of focus on purpose; don't look at the viewfinder / screen while shooting, like Daido Moriyama.
• Observe a kid - give a camera to a kid and see what happens, what they try to capture, what they see that you didn't. Kids nowadays aren't blank slates, but their brains are still mostly free from external influences.
• Experiment, ditch and keep - never stop the cycle: shoot, select the best images, ditch the rest. Don't dismiss an idea just because a few shots didn't work in the past, try it again, it might just work with a different subject. Worst case scenario, just delete them.

Remember: not every shot has to count. Photography should be more playing and less thinking.